The Sapphire Alchemist
by Clair Aragon
Summary: "This is preposterous!" I screamed sarcastically to keep myself sane. Truth grin while the Gate started to close, "This isn't a dream, child, and it's only just beginning." When I made it to Amestris, a man kills me before ending the first day. Just lovely. During the next day, I blow up... Why must Amestris hate me? At least some time down the road I end up with a pet dragon!
1. Pilot

**Okay, I swear that this story isn't a mary-sue story about me falling desperately in love with the Fullmetal Alchemist or Alphonse Elric. I'm not strong, nor witty, so please take the chance to at least read it a bit. I've worked very hard on this fanfic to not let your hopes down because of an idiotic plot or OOC characters. Please just try it! Review if you think I did pretty good! If not, please don't flame me.  
**

**Disclaimer: I wish I did, but I don't own FMA. **

**Chapter 1: What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger**

* * *

**Clair's POV**

_"Ed! Alphonse! Where are you?" I screamed at the top of my lungs, my voice echoing in the thick blackness of the chilly night._

_A cold, physical feeling of dread hung in the air, shivering down my spine as someone tied me with chains. The culprit hidden in the midst of shadows, I was unable to glimpse their face, and I swallowed in self-pity as I waited for someone to rescue me - if anyone knew I was there, anyway._

_Suddenly, two, beady, forest green eyes pierced the dark beside me, clear among the many empty boxes around them. The man behind the eyes wore a black trench coat and a grin, stretched madly across his face. I didn't like him._

_"What do you want?" I asked with a glare - though my fear was evident, judging by the reflection in his greedy eyes._

_"Nothing much," the man chuckled. "just for you to scream. No, not much at all." he smirked psychotically, voice twisting with pleasure, and I turned my eyes away as he inched closer, twirling a knife in his right hand. I began to struggle, scraping and jangling my chains against the iron pole I was bound to, but I realized it was too late when he lunged._

_Then, in a flash, I saw two golden eyes glaring in the darkness behind him, accompanied by a pair of glowing, empty soul-eyes as well. The blond that the golden gaze belonged to swiftly jumped out of the shadows and slammed his boot on the man's back, forcing him to lie on the ground, probably unconscious._

_Alphonse stepped in and flipped on the light switch, making my eyes burn - but joyful tears wiped down my face nonetheless. After Ed untied me, I hugged and thanked him frantically. "I'm sorry!" I breathed. "I'm a liability, ain't I?"_

_"No, Clair, we're just glad you're safe!" Alphonse cried from the corner._

_Ed smirked. "Yeah, you're worth it. But you need to wake up now."_

_"Wait- what?"_

* * *

My eyes shot open and I blinked a few times, whimpering quietly as I realized I was in my bed.

"Time for school, honey!" Mom yelled outside my door. I sighed; of course it was just a dream. I knew it was too good to be real. Damn. Well, at least I'd meet them again tomorrow night. In my dreams...

"My best friend gave me the best advice," I started singing when my mom left the room - If Today was Your Last Day by Nickleback - to somehow wake me up. "each day is a gift, and not a given right..."

I looked at the clock to find that it was six-twenty, an hour before my friend would arrive to drive me to school. I listened to Nickleback's Lullaby and Three Days Grace's Time of Dying while getting ready for school, grabbing the first few things on my dresser: blue jeans, a dolphin shirt, and my sapphire colored jacket. Afterwards, I checked myself in the mirror to put my contacts in and do my hair. When I was finished, I looked at myself critically. "At least I match." I shrugged, letting out a slight snicker.

As I headed down the hall, I smelled burnt bacon. "Good morning!" I cheered to Mom, grabbing a piece of the crispy meat and nibbling on it. "Tastes good," I complimented, though lying. "Have the other two left already?"

"Yeah, your brother and sister left twenty minutes ago to get on the bus." Mom informed me. "Aren't you lucky? You get to eat at home and ride with your friend to school." She gave me a smile as she went on to make the eggs.

"Yep, I'm lucky alright." I agreed, finishing up the burnt bacon.

Thirty minutes passed after I ate, ten of them being just boredom, and the rest was me playing on the computer and procrastinating my homework until I had to leave for school.

"Yuki's here!" Mom called, and I grabbed my stuff - lunch, book-bag, and flute - before heading out the door.

"Kay-bye, see ya!" I told her, then walked over to Yuki's crazy, blue car - I wasn't sure what kind of car it was, but it looked ridiculous - and sat in. "Good morning." I smiled at Yuki's family, but they didn't even notice me.

"Well, you're the one that didn't get me up this morning!" yelled the seven-year-old girl in the vehicle. Yuki shook her head and started to play her music to ignore them like she always did.

"I yelled at you three times to wake up!" Yuki's mom screamed at her sister as she pulled out of my driveway.

"You should've woke me up four times-"

"Katie! We can't go through this every day!"

"Just shut up!" Katie yelled in a I-hate-you tone.

I shrugged to myself and face-palmed lightly before turning on Pokemon Sapphire on my Gameboy - my favorite one - and ignoring the rest of the argument.

When we arrived at school, nothing had changed. It was the same brick building, same people coming in and out, and overall same boring, dull atmosphere that nobody wanted to be part of. "Hey, you have your mood necklace on." Yuki noticed as we got out of the car; she pointed at it.

"Yeah, it's blue, so I'm calm now," I smirked. "This mood necklace works pretty well on me; it hasn't turned red for love yet." I laughed.

She chuckled. "Those things never work. And you know," she added thoughtfully. "I've never seen you embarrassed, Clair."

"Me either," I replied, and she laughed again.

We headed into the building then, and I put my flute in the band room before joining my second period partner - and good friend - to see if she'd completed her homework. Most people called our second period "the smart people math class." It was meant for Juniors, but I signed up for it; I was one of the few students in my school who actually wanted to go to college.

"Yup!" my friend replied cheerfully. "I didn't understand half of it, but I had an answer for them all." she smiled, her brown, curly hair wobbling while she ate her strawberry pop tart. "So, how did you like the Halloween Party with my family?"

"Awesome! I'll be there next year for sure-" I started to compliment, then the bell rang for first period. I looked up. "Oh, sorry, gotta go!"

"Don't worry, I gotta go, too." her voice came sweetly, brown eyes trailing off as she dumped her tray.

* * *

Seventh period, my favorite period of the day. Band class!

Well, I lied actually; it wasn't my favorite period because of the people in there, but it was less stressful than the rest. Yuki played her clarinet, while I played my flute for warm-ups. Then we played a few Christmas songs for the holidays.

After band, my green watch read three o'clock - or the end of another day in my case. I joined my artist buddy, who drew the best anime and creepypasta pictures, until her bus arrived, then I hung out with two gay guys. Not sure if they were dating or not yet, but they were definitely nicer than anyone else at my school.

When my bus finally came, I climbed in and sat in seat seventeen. Then, within ten minutes of warm sunlight shining through my window, I fell cozily asleep on my Fullmetal Alchemist themed bag.

* * *

_The walls crumbled around me as I sat still, watching the wallpaper peel and burn, consumed into ash when it hit the fire. The sound of crackling wood, breaking within the fire, surrounded me on all sides, and every time I turned my head I covered my cranium, afraid the ceiling would fall and crush me._

_The intensity of the fire started to bellow around me in a defiant haze. I tried to see a way to escape this horror, but couldn't find a way out while wood and ashes formed a barricading circle around me. I started to cry as fear rose up from deep within my throat. "Help!" I choked out, coughing my head off because of the smoke building in the area._

_Strangely, I didn't recognize where I was. Maybe an empty warehouse, but what was I doing here? Where were my family and friends?_

_"Clair!" I heard a familiar voice in the distance, clear regardless of the smoke that would have held anyone else back._

_"Al?" I breathed hopefully, and almost on cue - yet unexpectedly - Alphonse leaped through the ring of fire, scooping his arms underneath my half-burned body._

_"C'mon," he urged as he briskly helped me to a stand, lifting me into his arms. His armor creaked. "Hang on, okay?" I closed my eyes briefly and nodded, then he leaped across the fire and ran outside to safety. There he chuckled, obviously shaken by my close encounter with death. "We need to stop meeting like this."_

_I laughed in agreement and gazed into his soulful eyes. "Yeah, we do, don't we?"_

_"C'mon Al, we have a train to catch!" Ed argued - having appeared out of nowhere - without even glancing at me._

_"Of course, brother!" Al called, then turned his helmet back to me. "Would you like to join us?"_

_"Is that even a question to ask a girl like me?" I almost gasped. "Of course I will!" I chirped happily as he set me down on the brick road. I willingly followed when he started running..._

* * *

"Lori, Clair fell asleep again! C'mon we're at your house! I want to get home, too!" cried a seventh grader in the seat in front of me, speaking to the bus driver.

"Ugh," I groaned briefly while rubbing my eyes. 'Another dream,' I thought, then grabbed my stuff to head off the bus.

"You sleep?" the bus driver laughed as I passed by.

I sighed and decided to ignore the comment. "Have a good one."

"Bye." she waved as I headed out and up to my house.

When I walked inside, my mom blurted, "Are you still going to the Evening of the Arts with Yuki for school tomorrow?" before I could unplug my earbuds - with her deaf ears and loud mouth, I could still hear her.

"Yeah, of course. I'm in the band, so me and Yuki have to go. Why?" I questioned.

"You never tell what you're doing half the time, so I like to be sure. How was your day, anyways?" she asked kindly.

I shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Boring as usual." I passed her and headed down the hallway to my room.

After unloading my bag of art equipment and math homework, I worked on them for the next four hours. With 118 math problems for homework, I was surprised how early I finished; my art project was half-way completed as well.

"Now what should I do?" I sighed. "Sleep?" My clock read eight o'clock, but who goes to sleep that early? I stayed in bed and read Fanfiction until ten, then let my head hit the pillow.

* * *

My eyes shot open as I staggered awake, blue and green irises pulling away from the bleak, bright whiteness of an area I somehow recognized - but couldn't remember how quite yet. I blinked. Where was I? What happened? ...Which way was up?

I quickly got over the disorientation, however, and jut my senses out, listening for voices, searching for someone, and trying to feel...anything. The process gave me a dizzying headache, but I spotted a set of perfectly white teeth grinning at me a bit to my right; they seemed to be suspended in midair. But, squinting my eyes, I realized there was a humanoid, female shape around them. "Truth?" I gasped. "No, i-it can't be! It's preposterous!" I started hyperventilating and stumbled backwards, but quickly found myself blocked by a giant, grey door: The Gate.

"Wait...Yeah, this isn't happening," I shook my head; this obviously wasn't real. How could it be? "I'm dreaming just like I do every other night!" I exclaimed, trying to keep myself sane. 'Not real. Just a vivid dream.'

Truth grinned wickedly. "I'm glad you know me, but this isn't a dream."

"Yes it is, and you're not going to convince me other wise, Grinny." Yep. Keeping myself sane.

"What did you call me?" Truth seemed almost offended, but then he/it/she chuckled. "I've never heard that one before. I've been called many things - God, or Truth, or All, or One. I am everyone, even-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill." I growled; my sanity and humanity would not hold up this way.

"Oh, you think so, do you? Well, then," Truth laughed. "Shall we get down to business?" Its grin became wider as it sat cross-legged, an eminent aura surrounding the white 'body'. "You came to me for a very special purpose."

_I came here?_ I thought to myself. 'Last time I checked, after you close your eyes you don't randomly wind up somewhere unless it's a dream.'

"Wait- What purpose could that be?" I asked, rethinking if I should trust him.

"I want you to give the Elric brothers something to make the game more interesting." he explained; his evil grin became more like a smile of his own enjoyment.

I frowned; I wouldn't let myself believe this yet - but it was so real. I decided to interrogate 'The Truth'. "So what's my Equivalent Exchange? Do you want my arms? My legs? Or maybe my eyes, vocal cords, or eardrums for your..._scheme_?" I really didn't want to lose any part of my body, but after I thought about it, I would be okay with Truth taking one of those things to let me pass through the Gate 'unharmed'.

It shook its head and faced me like I was an idiot with my head screwed on too tight. "You don't get it? Since I called you here, you don't need to worry about that. Instead, I want you to have this." He tossed something, and I found a little white stone flying right at me, hitting my stomach. I caught the object, peering at it; it sparkled abundantly with an everlasting glow, and it somehow made me smile at its mysterious potential. "Just a suggestion," the Truth continued, a concentrating frown on its...face. "Eating it first would save you trouble later."

I stared at him with a you're-deranged look. "Are you insane? Uh-Hm..." Right, of course he was insane. But Truth had to tell the truth, _right?_ "Fine, I will..." I started momentarily, then trailed off as I closed my eyes, held my breath, and shoved it down my throat. Damn, that was unpleasant.

Truth suddenly started cackling. "Ha! I can't believe you fell for it! You didn't have to eat it, but now you have more power than the Philosopher's Stone." The thing started grinning again, leaning its chin on his fist.

"What!" my jaw dropped, my breathing was more staggered than before, and my legs wanted to scoot farther from him, but I couldn't because the Gate began to open behind me. I trembled in terror as black hands engulfed my waist, snaking around my limbs and gently embracing my neck. I shuddered.

"Oh, forgot to mention!" Truth snapped his fingers. "Have fun! And you remember those dreams from earlier? That was a part of my testing. As you can see, you passed."

My head shuddered as a mind-spitting headache sliced straight through it, and my nerves lost control. The hands started to take me into a black hole inside the Gate.

Images passed through my mind; I almost thought they were the Truth, or the answer to everything inside the Gate. But it wasn't, and some part of me knew it. My head didn't feel like it was going to explode with information; explode with a migraine...maybe. Ugh.

The darkness slowly faded until I saw an unknown place - a peaceful farm village. The moon rose high above the clouds... Then a wooden roof replaced them, and I saw two eyes, staring right into my soul. A young man in tattered clothing carried a knife in his right hand, playing with it back and forth, swinging it between his fingers. Now, I huddled in a corner, unable to move from terror at the man - as if the Gate's horrors weren't enough.

"This is my town!" the man screamed, and a sharp pain sliced through my throat - his knife, probably. I thought I was dying, and then...

I woke up in front of The Gate, barely able to _breath_.

"I never cuss, but _DAMN IT_, Truth!" I screamed, standing and whirling on the supposed deity. "You sent me that...that vision, didn't you? It's the future, a-and you're sending me to the other side of the Gate to _kill_ me, to _TORTURE_ me! I never though you were this _cruel!"_

It only grinned.

The hands squeezed tighter and tighter like snakes, constricting until my heart stopped pumping. They dragged me in, and I could see through a crack in the closing Gate the Truth waving his goodbyes. "Good luck!" he snickered; I struggled to get myself free and show Truth a piece of my mind, but the door slammed shut, echoing with a heavy, durable sound across the void of never-ending darkness.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, trying to move my feet and arms, to resist the hands and those beading eyes, but...

I passed out.

* * *

"Ugh," I mumbled, eyes glued shut, and rolled over groggily. I pushed my hands to the ground and tried to stand, only to fall on my stomach. My vision was blurred, but I could see the grass underneath my stomach and a willow tree swaying behind me, its branches tickling my spine and the back of my head.

In an instance, I jumped awake, leaning against the willow's trunk to get a glimpse of the landscape. The land was a flat plane with a few shrubs and endless fields of corn and wildflowers. Animals, such as deer, gazed the area in hopes of food. "Okay, so I went through the Gate, I made it to the other side, and now I'm looking at Amestris." I told myself in a serious tone, but I couldn't believe what I was saying; I scoffed. "Nah, this is all just a dream. But wait- Truth said it was_ real_, right? Truth can only tell the truth, so this is Amestris. But if this was a dream, Truth would have no choice but to lie, unless he were to say this was a dream..."

I shook my head, having made myself more confused than if I'd seen a purple polka-dotted giraffe - but how weird would that be?

I lay there, frozen, for what felt like hours, thinking about what I could do if it _was_ Amestris. I thought about how I would never see my folks again, what I should say to the Elrics when I first met them - _if_ I met them - and what I could do to help them on their journey, though that wasn't much; I had some brains, but definitely not the same as Edward, and I wouldn't hurt a fly if I had to.

After a while, I almost forgot that this might not be real; the day began to freeze as the sun started to set against the horizon. "Fake or not," I growled." I'm going to live as though it were real." I promised to myself that dying wasn't an option; I would fight to stay alive if I _needed_ to.

I stood and walked across the many branches and bushes that scattered the land, eventually finding a small town exactly like the little farm-village I'd seen in the vision. I rubbed my eyes, uncertain, then walked down toward the village. A few people roamed the dirt roads leading to it, and many man, young and old, plowed the fields nearby for harvest. I wanted to speak with one of them to give me a...sign or something, but I wasn't sure what to say.

Oh well, I'd never know anything if I didn't try. "Uh, hey," I waved my hands to get the attention of a nearby group of men. One of them perked his head, but didn't reply. I was alone.

The wind picked up and blew my blonde hair around with some crimson leaves. I covered myself with my sapphire blue jacket and followed the dirt road to the rural town.

The people in the town gave me dirty glances when I walked pass, obviously more baffled than vexed, but still bitter. As the sun began to die farther and farther behind the mountains, daughters, sons, and husbands hurried inside before the night hit twilight. Alone in the dark, I sat on the side of the road and began to cry. It wasn't like when school seemed stressful or when I was having a terrible time...

No. Today, I was going to die.

I couldn't stop replaying the scene in my head - the one that Truth showed me. I knew it would happen; it was inevitable. That man with the knife...

Tears swelled in my eyes, spreading like wildfire down my face until it hit my jeans, coat, and hands. I knew I wasn't solving anything by crying, but I couldn't even stop myself, what could I do to stop the future?

After a half an hour - I kept time on my green watch, weirdly enough - I stopped crying. I needed to stand up for myself. If I stayed there, the man would find me for sure.

I walked through the village, jumping at any movement - including dogs barking, and cats yawning on front porches.

Suddenly, a man snatched me from the shadows, holding his hand across my mouth before I could scream. He forced me deeper into the village to an empty shed where the houses couldn't see us. Rakes, hoes, shovels, and other tools pulled by bulls were inside. The man threw me to the ground, growling, "I thought you were from the military with that blue coat, but maybe I was wrong."

"What? No, no, no, I'm not part of the military. I'm new here, that's all!" I yelped. Huge understatement. I shielded myself with my arms, whimpering, "Don't hurt me! Please!"

"Now who said I was going to hurt you?" he smirked, pulling a dagger from his pocket. "Though I might if you don't give me the information I want. You must know something about that bastard military with a coat like that. Nobody would go around dressed in that shade of blue." He glared.

"No, I swear I don't know anything!" I squeaked in terror. He spun the knife around in his hands, frowning.

"Do you know a boy named Edward Elric?" he questioned. "He's about the same age as you."

"Y-yeah," I whimpered. "who wouldn't know the _Fullmetal Alchemist?"_

He grabbed me, bringing my face to about two inches from his own. "So you _do_ know about the military, but you _won't tell me!_" He licked his lips; his breath had the smell of liqueur. I scooted back, but, same as the Gate, I hit a corner, unable to escape. Not only was he a foot taller than me - probably six-foot-something - he was more muscular than my dad, and _nobody_ wanted to mess with my dad. This guy was literally over my head.

_Please, someone, save me! Save me!_ I screamed silently to myself - though I knew no one would ever get my mental SOS signal, but it couldn't hurt to try, right?

The man's emerald eyes pierced right through me, burning with a fiery hot fury. Then, suddenly, he sliced through my jugular in a swift haze, hollering, "This is my town, _bitch!"_

Agony shot through my throat, spine, and any other part of my nervous system with an indescribable sharp _pain._ My heart quickened; my head hit the wooden walls and the oak flooring before I quite simply... died.

* * *

"Ugh, my head," I moaned as consciousness was returned to me. I barely remembered what had happened, but I tried not to think too much about it as I sat up against the corner - which was covered in cobwebs galore - before glancing at the man. He had an empty case of alcohol beside him, and he was starting on his second. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head to wake myself up, then realized my hands and feet were tied. "Let me go!" I struggle to speak and get free, still fuzzy from before.

"I let you go after you tell me how you did that." The man glared, taking another slip. He didn't seem surprised by my waking up after...what had happened again?

"Did what exactly? Please tell me, because I don't even know how I'm alive!" Once I'd said that, my memory came back to me like a ton of bricks being hit by a freight train. "Wait- You killed me! KILLED ME!" I started hyperventilating.

"It's funny really," he gave a small laugh, and I decided to listen. "I never wanted to harm you. I just wanted to know if you knew anything about the military, but when you didn't know anything, I snapped." He chuckled some more and took a gulp of his alcohol. _I wonder what caused him to snap?_ I thought sarcastically as I watched; I was beginning to calm down mentally.

"Why do you hate the military so much, anyways?" I questioned. I knew it wasn't any of my business, but I had some time to kill before someone came to save me. IF they came to save me, that is, but I wasn't sure who would. The Elric brothers? _Ha_.

"I fell in love with the most beautiful gal in the world," the man mumbled drunkenly. "Once the fighting sparked, my wife and children were one of the first to be killed because I was supposedly 'betraying' the government, and I had to repay me for what I did." He sniffed and looked over at me. "You see, my wife was an Ishvalan."

"I can't believe it," I gasped. "I'm really in Amestris. And this isn't a dream either; I know that now. So, can you tell me how I survived?"

"Hm, that's an excellent question..." He stared at the ceiling, taking a chug of white wine this time. I'm actually surprised he didn't question my comment on dreaming, but thank Gate for alcohol, I suppose. The light showed me all the little wrinkles on the face of a 40-year-old, bitter man. "I'm not sure," he finally continued, "but after you passed out, a light emerged, engulfing you in a whitish-blue light. Almost like, uh...alchemy. But not. When the light faded, you were completely healed."

Did I hear correctly? That sounded like alkahestry to me, but I didn't know a thing about that. Since seventh grade, I'd learned all there was to know about alchemy, but maybe brushing up on alkahestry would've been a better plan...

"I thought for a while that you were my guardian angel coming to save me or something," he said in a down-to-earth tone - finally. "But you're just a kid. There's no way you could be older than thirteen."

"I'm fourteen, almost fifteen," I replied, twisting uncomfortably in my bonds. "And trust me, I'm more than sorry for everything you've been through. I can't know what it's like, but I do know I'm not your guardian angel - or I hope not, anyways. And I'm sorry to tell you this, but sometimes questions just can't be answered. I have no idea how I healed myself. Maybe by using some kind of alkahestry...but I don't know anything about it. All I do know is that someone, or something, is protecting me and I wanna find out what it is." After I was done speaking, the man sat his wine to the side, crawling over to me with a knife in his hands. "Please don't hurt me again!" I squealed, all the former wisdom replaced by fear. Suddenly the ropes dropped on the floor. I blinked. "You freed me?"

"Here," he gave me a few bills - or Cens, I guess was what they called it here - and sighed. "I want you to take the next train out of the country. You're too innocent to belong in a place like this. Promise me that you'll leave and never return."

"I promised," I lied, giving a fake smile. Then I ran out into the morning daybreak, through the mist, and to the nearest train station. It took me a while to find it, but I got there eventually and found myself giving the money to the nice woman there who sold train tickets directly. "To Central, please." I asked politely, ending up with a few Cens left to spare. I took my ticket. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she smiled. "Your train will arrive in about an hour."

* * *

**Author's Corner: I'm sorry for so many line breaks everywhere, but there's usually switching first person involved, but for the moment I'm the only point of view there is. If you've made it this far, please review something about this story if you will, because there's one pet-peeve I have with this website, when over four hundred views your first chapter, yet only like eight review. Please give me something. Did you like it? What do you think will happen when Clair meets the Elric brothers? Do you think she'll meet the Elrics next chapter?**

**I feel like I should say more, but I don't know what else to say... Thanx for reading! XD**

**Started: November 9, 2013**

**Betaed by honorable and fabulous, the Mysterious Illusion: Nov. 10, 2013**

**Words: 5,148 or roughly fifteen pages.  
**


	2. Every Cloud has a Silver Lining

**Chapter 2: Every Cloud has a Silver Lining**

* * *

**Clair's POV**

I sat at the train station for a while before the train arrived. Many of the people there gave me weird looks during this time - maybe because of my clothes? - but I tried my best to ignore them.

The train finally arrived at a quarter passed two. When I headed onto the old, industrial train, I saw that three or four families and a few loners were on board. I decided to treat it like my school bus, imagining it had blue seats instead of green, and my friends were sitting close to me. My friends would talk about the dramatics of school; I lacked interest in those conversations, but I wished they were here comfort me in my desolate state.

"Hey, you need to take a seat, ma'am!" the conductor called from the front.

I snapped back to reality, realizing I'd blanked out, and quickly apologized. "Sorry!"

I made my way toward the back of the train and sat down near a little family. They had one child with them who, I noticed, looked a bit like my best friend; her long brown hair curled delicately, and she had blue eyes instead of brown, but I remembered my friend's smile when I saw her coloring.

My mind snapped back to reality again when I sat on the right side of the train._ I shouldn't think about my friends and family right now, _I decided, telling myself to be calm - but I missed them more than anything.

I eventually managed to get my mind to trail off to a different topic instead. That..._stone_. What..._was_ it exactly? What did I know about it? It was white, luminous, made me cheerful when I held it, and it healed me. But _why?_ Maybe it was a Philosopher's Stone. Although... that would probably mean I was a homunculus now, and I didn't see an Ouroboros Tattoo on me, nor was the Stone blood-red. And besides that, wasn't the Philosopher's Stone supposed to make you feel uneasy?

But if it was _like_ the Philosopher's Stone, could I perform alchemy? I almost tried to make an array with my hands like Ed - clapping them together - but I quickly shook the thought out of my head and sighed, murmuring to myself quietly. "No, if it has enough power to heal me, I might blow up the whole train if I tried alchemy." I paused. "That is, if it would even work." _Would I need to know alchemy first, or does the Stone override that rule, too?_

For the next two hours, the landscape out the window was rolling, desolate mountains without a single village or house among them. I sat restlessly in the most uncomfortable seats _ever_ before my boredom broke from its shell. I yawned, then started singing aloud to myself quietly. _"Purity is calling me to fresh untainted air... I'm going to the new place that is waiting there... Whoaohoh,"_ my voice, though quiet, reverberated throughout the otherwise silent train. Surprisingly no one stared at me, but my volume was so low I could barely hear myself, so maybe they didn't notice. I continued: _"Lost, a child, I search aimlessly with the sky overhead like a graveyard. Through my dreams are changing like ink on a map that is caught in the pouring rain-"_

My reflexes twitched when something poked my side gently, and I stopped. Turning, I realized the doppelgänger girl from earlier had hopped onto my seat without me noticing.

"Sorry to stop you," she murmured shyly, apparently sheepish. "I-I didn't mean... What I mean..." she stuttered, then looked up at my face 'bravely'. "You're good!"

My head jolted back slightly as the full shock of her arrival and attitude kicked in, leaving me dazed for just a moment. "Heh, I suck at singing. My sister swears that I'm tone deaf. I like to sing songs for fun, though. It helps me save my emotions of depression and stress for later." I chuckled awkwardly.

"No, you're better than me!" the girl cried, smiling now. "What were you singing, anyways?"

I smiled at her compliment, replying, "It was nothing, just a song called _Hologram_. I'm better at the flute."

"You own a _flute?_" the little girl gasped. "That's so cool! Can I see it?" She leaned forward at the question.

"Sorry, but I don't have it with me - though I wish I did." I sighed, thinking about all the other things I'd left at my house before coming here - not that I could have grabbed them anyway. But I felt lonelier without my iPod in my pocket.

"Hey, my name is Nicole," the girl greeted suddenly. "Nicole Price. Nice to met you." She smiled as a kind gesture.

"My name is Clair, Clair Aragon," I introduced myself. I was starting to feel a bit better talking with this girl. "Where are you heading, anyways?"

"My father is part of the military. They told him to move to central. Crazy thing, they were nice enough to pay for a house and our tickets." Her eyes widened with excitement at the next part. "I can't wait to see Central! Have you ever been there?"

"No, but I've seen pictures," I shrugged, unsure of how else to answer. "So, um, is your father a State Alchemist? He must be good."

"Yeah. He never spends much time with us, but his alchemy is what keeps the roof over our heads," Nicole shrugged, too, then smirked as though she'd just thought of something. "Why do you ask? Are _you_ an alchemist?"

I frowned. Was I? I hardly knew anything about alchemy for real. I knew what I'd learned back home, however, I wasn't sure if I could perform it. But if I could, would I be considered an alchemist? If I couldn't, surely I had enough background information to say I kinda was. Maybe... "Sorta..." I tensed suddenly when I got an idea. "I know! Can I show you something? Only it has a catch: you can't tell your parents. Okay?"

"Yeah...I guess," she answered uncertainly.

"Do you have a piece of scape paper?"

She nodded, then went and grabbed a piece from her seat. Her father had fallen asleep, and her mom was dazing at the window, so they didn't notice her much. Nicole came back and sat down beside me, handing me the paper immediately.

I realized with a tiny bit of amusement that I could have shown her a math problem to freak her with my awesome math skills; but instead I just lifted my wrist in the air, holding the paper up to it, and swiftly sliced the sharp edge across. I felt a barely noticeable, yet sharp and searing pain. My eyes widened as I saw the lightly colored blood seep from the paper cut; it was almost pink in contrast to its usual color. Weird.

Ignoring the weirdness, I became curious as to whether the Stone would always heal me or whether I could resist it. I decided to test that, focusing on the cut. I closed my eyes, feeling the stone deep inside my gut. It seemed to work, but it felt like sticking my hand into a hellfire without it being able to escape. It _burned._ But I just stared at the two trickles of blood, one at each end of the cut, unable to understand how the Stone worked.

"Why is your blood that color?" Nicole whispered in cautious bafflement.

"I'm not sure," I shrugged honestly. I wanted to lie. I wanted to sound smart. Although, she could see it on my face that I was even more shocked than her. I sighed. "Watch," I asserted, then relaxed the nerves in my wrist on an impulse. The wound healed itself instantly, not leaving a single drop of blood. "Cool, huh?"

"Whoa," was the only syllable that hung loosely with the girl's jaw. Then she added, "My dad can't do that."

"I'm the only alchemist that can," I explained, though I knew it was a lie because of Hohenheim's Philosopher's Stone. Oh, well. "You know Edward Elric?" I asked.

"Yeah! Who _doesn't_ know him?" she replied excitedly.

_That's what I tried to explain to that man..._ I side-noted, rolling my eyes.

"I'm going to Central to meet him, or hopefully meet him." I told her calmly, yet causing a huge smile to jump across both our faces.

We talked for hours until we arrive at Central. For once in this strange world, I felt a sense of belonging. Nicole was a great kid, too. She told me a few things that caught my ears, like how school lasted six years instead of twelve, yet the people here were brighter than most teenagers in my school.

Once we were off the train, I followed Nicole's family through Central to get a good feel of the place. Everything was great for a few minutes, but then her father noticed me. "Why are you following us?" he demanded, setting his deep blue eyes on me; his ragged hair folded loosely over his ears.

"Oh!" I cried, realizing how odd it was for a strange girl to follow the family. "I-I thought you were going to the Headquarters, so I decided to follow..."

"We're going back to our house," he spoke in a serious tone. "We don't need followers."

"Oh, honey, she's so young," Nicole's mother chided. She gave me a kind look. "You can stay with us-" The man swung his arm to hold back his wife, effectively stopping her. Nicole watched from beside her mom, gulping.

"No. There's something about her I don't like," the man growled, and I decided there was something about _him_ that _I_ didn't like. "C'mon, Nicole, lets go." the man growled as he glared with his frightful gaze. He held his child away from me with his arm, then he turned.

_Something about me?... _I questioned myself, watching them walk away. When the family hit the sidewalk, I wanted to follow, I felt like I _needed_ to, but I remained dazed until they left my vision.

After standing there for a few minutes, I knew where I needed to go: Central Headquarters. I'd find the Elrics there, and maybe they could help me with...everything. And almost as though Truth _wanted_ me to find them, every path I followed led closer to the ginormous building with the Amestris logo (an oddly shaped dragon with a hexagonal ring surrounding it) on it. My jaw dropped lower and lower to the ground the closer the building became, and at last, I made it. I saw two buildings standing parallel to each other, connecting to the center main gate. A few smaller buildings were seen from behind the major headquarters, too. It was humongous, almost as big as New York City from looking out the Empire State building.

I paused before actually walking up the twenty step staircase to the top, wondering if this was the right path... "Screw it," I muttered to myself. _Snap out of it._ "I need to take risks sooner or later if I wanna find the brothers." The sun rose high into the sky, showing that it was midday, as the wind started to pick up - just in time to shove my light blonde hair into my face. "Let's do this!" I cried with zealous confidence while I pulled the strands away from my mouth.

I walked as silently as I could up the stairs, eyes glued to my destination with vigor in my steps. Until, at least, I saw a guard at the gate. My heart skipping a beat, I leaped into the shadows behind two bushes and one masculine tree that needed trimming. The man on lookout was smoking a cigarette and sitting near the door. Obviously, I couldn't get in this way. It wasn't like he would just _let_ me in.

_Maybe there's a back or side door...? _I asked myself, leaving quietly. I felt like a mouse who'd gotten cheese from a mouse trap without getting caught. My mind and heart raced with anticipation as I sprinted to the back-side on the left parallel, suction-cupping myself to the wall as it guided me to the back of the building. I felt a bit like a super-spy, acting like that.

A shooting range layout was found by the corner at the end. A general was commanding his troops - loudly: "**Never** look your enemy in the eye without a glare! **Don't be stupid!** And **never** hold back when a rifle is **in your hands!**"

The troops nodded, replying with "Yes, sir!" in unison.

At the far end of the training ground, I noticed a stern lady with long, blonde hair pulled back in a bun. A pistol was held in her hands, bursting shots firing from the gun at a fifty meter target; it hit dead center every time. "Hawkeye..." I murmured quietly. I needed to speak with her - though she didn't know me... I'd cross that bridge when I got there - but how was I going to get past the soldiers?

_C'mon think!_ I shouted mentally, but all I could think was the word 'think.' Then a light bulb flicked in my head._ Okay, so if I can use alchemy, then I could make a pocket watch and pretend I'm a State Alchemist. Yeah, that'll work. I'll just have to find Ed and Al before anyone realizes I don't have any military records._ Gulp.

I rubbed my hands - a kind of quiet version of Ed's clap - then placed them on the ground. "Work? Please?" I asked shyly with desperation straining from my voice. Nothing happened.

_Maybe I need to believe in myself more,_ I thought, starting over. I rubbed my hands together again, hoping against desire that I would succeed this time, and placed them on the ground. "_Work!_" I screamed. I was sure everyone outside the building heard me, but if it _did_ work then maybe that wouldn't matter so much.

My eyes sparkled with excitement when a bright flash appeared - a blinding, alchemical light. It shined in what seemed to be a hundred foot radius around my hands, then suddenly _exploded_. It threw me against a wall, creating a giant cloud of dust. I wheezed, coughing at a severely abnormal rate as I tried to stand up. Blood spewed from my throat after a minute of the infernal coughing - maybe after ten times in a row; it was a light-red color like before.

I wanted to flee; I needed to flee. The soldiers would catch me for sure! But my muscles shut themselves down along with all my nerves, and I laid in waiting until the smoke cleared. The soldiers circled around my body in the dust. Everything looked hazy to me. They were all silent as Hawkeye and a General shoved them out of the way to make room, but I didn't see anything else.

Because afterwards, I closed my eyes, hoping the pain would subside. Now I _knew _my stone was more powerful than what I'd planned. That was a good thing, right? Or was it bad? Ugh, I didn't know. Eventually, I passed out, hearing voices as they started talking about the random girl who flew into a wall...

* * *

**Ed's POV (Third Person)**

Edward Elric was standing with his younger brother at the steps of Central Headquarters when they heard the rushing sound of ambulances and patrol officers at the scene. The older turned his head curiously as the noise persisted.

"What do you think happened?" Alphonse wondered aloud to his brother, his armor shifting as he looked down.

"I dunno," Ed replied, his curiosity dying slowly as he found his mind slipping back to what it had been on moments before. "But it can't be any worse than Liore!" he growled with an almost-whine hiding beneath his words; it sounded as though he'd been defeated in battle. And Ed _hated_ being defeated in battle.

"C'mon brother, it wasn't _that_ bad. We unmasked a corrupt fraud." Al pointed out as Ed hurried up the steps. The younger alchemist hesitated before running up after his brother. When Ed made it to the top, soldiers were scattered everywhere. Hawkeye, Mustang, Hughes, and a few of the higher ups were talking at the scene. "This worries me, brother." Al spoke quietly. Liore was now completely pushed to the back of their minds.

Ed didn't say anything to his younger sibling, reluctant to reply, and headed over to where Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye stood. He spoke accusingly to them: "I see how it is. I leave for a few days and _this_ happens. What the hell did you do?"

"This is not the time, Fullmetal," Mustang growled, giving him one of those behave-or-else glares, and gesturing for them to follow him to the scene. "A girl was taken to the hospital earlier today after blowing up a part of the headquarters' outer building. Once she recovers, the Fuhrer requires to have her for an interrogation. Personally. So this is serious."

They got to the site right about then; the white wall had crumbled, and there was a small dent starting to cave inward on the ground. When Ed first saw it, he knew something was...off about it. _And why would the Fuhrer want to see her personally, anyway?_ Ed was now interested.

"Um, Colonel," Al started his question politely, "why do you think she blew up the wall?"

Ed wandered around for clues as he listened, but he wasn't finding anything besides cracks slitted across the wall. Not that wasn't _something_...

"Many of the soldiers believe she was a spy, but I doubt it," Mustang explained calmly, pointing at the cracks. "If she were a spy, she would be smart enough not to hurt herself, and there are easier ways to a break into an important building besides blowing it to smithereens. Also," he turned to where Edward was kneeling by the dent in the ground. "Fullmetal, do you see something distinct about this particular explosion?"

Ed touched the crater, realizing that some of the dust had been transform into a different material than the wall. That, on top of the rectangular shape of the cracks... "Yeah," he murmured thoughtfully, his voice so quiet the others probably couldn't hear; he spoke louder. "It was definitely an alchemical explosion." _But this material...It's silver, isn't it? Concrete doesn't have the properties to transmute into silver._ He kept this thought to himself as the conversation kept going.

"If it was done with alchemy, then why didn't she just make a door?" Al questioned, confused. But he knew there would be no answer.

"Here," Mustang knelt down and handed Ed an address. "The girl was taken to this hospital. I want you to talk to her before the Fuhrer gets a hold of her."

Ed frowned. He had to admit he was curious about this, but something in the air bothered him. He spoke impulsively, "Well, if it's so important then why don't _you_ do it, Colonel Bastard?"

"I can't leave my post," the bastard explained, expressionless. This made Ed pissed; Mustang was just trying to get on his nerves, show him who's the adult, but he wouldn't let him win. Edward whirled around with a slight pout and started walking away without a word of goodbye.

Secretly, though, he was glad the man had refused.

"C'mon, Al," he called to the suit of armor, "we have an explosive alchemy girl to find." Al started following obediently, and Ed frowned. An important thought going through his head: _If she can transmute that concrete into silver... Then maybe she has a Stone._

* * *

Ed walked through the hospital until he stopped at room 204. "Well, this is it, Al," Ed sighed, going through the questions he'd thought of in his head. "Let's see what this girl is hiding."

A guard stopped them before they opened the door. "Sorry, but you're not allowed in here."

Ed scowled and showed him his pocket watch. "What about now?"

"Oh! Sorry, sir, for the inconvenience." The man bowed while Ed and Al walked into the room, shutting the door behind them. A girl laid on the hospital bed with her eyes sealed, passed out in her sheets. She had light blonde hair, and a dark blue coat was hung at the end of the bed - most likely hers. She wore a star necklace, as well, that was a turquoise tint.

Al paused beside the bed, inspecting the girl for a few moments. "Hey, brother, don't you find it strange that there isn't a scratch on her?"

"Yeah, and I'm getting a weird vibe from her, too. We should be careful." Ed warned, then walked over and shook her body lightly. He was almost surprised when she rolled over, her eyes starting to open slowly. Strangely, they were two different colors. One was a deep blue while the other was dark green in comparison. Huh.

* * *

**Clair's PoV**

When I'd first woken up, I'd been in a hospital. The doctors did a few tests on me - without taking any of my blood thankfully - and afterwards I'd laid in bed to rest my eyes from reality.

I'm not sure how long I was like that, but then someone shook me. I rolled over to see a red coat sleeve attached to a white glove, which was touching my stomach. I sat up quickly and gasped with relief. "Ed! Al! Yes, people I know! Thank goodness I found you guys! I thought I'd never see you, but I guess it's sad that we meet in a hospital..." I rambled.

"Hey, slow down. You _know_ us?" Ed asked, his eyebrows practically sinking into his eyes. Al stood silently near the end of the bed.

"Who doesn't know you?" I chuckled uncertainly, unable to think of a good answer with a million thoughts popping up in my head. "You're a State Alchemist, a-and you're famous, right?"

"You're shaking." Al murmured with a worried look.

"N-no, I'm fine, but why are you here?"

"My boss asked me to interrogate you before the government decided to take you in." Ed replied, smirking slightly at my reactive expression.

_Take me?_

"So...it's vital you get information before they come get me," I confirmed, taking a deep breath. "I'll answer anything, but can you promise me something?" I asked before I knew what I wanted him to promise. It only took a moment to know, though. "Don't die, and don't tell the Fuhrer what I'm 'bout to tell you. I would ask you to hide me before the he took me, but I doubt that's possible - and I guess you wouldn't anyway."

"Okay, we promise," Al answered with a definite nod. I waited for them to ask away, in fear of changing the future. "Brother, can I ask first?"

"Sure, go ahead." Ed's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Why are your eyes two different colors?"

"Oh!" I half-chuckled. "I thought you were going to ask something else. It's a birth defect. My grandpa had different colored eyes so it passed down to me. Funny how that works." A wide smile came across my face as I laughed silently at myself.

"Okay, my turn," Ed stepped forward and crossed his arms, frowning. "Are you an alchemist? Why shouldn't we tell the Fuhrer? How did you turn that concrete into silver? Why did you blow up that wall in the first place?" My eyes widened at his questions, blinking once. I liked Al's question better...

"Brother! Don't bombard her. Let's ask one question at a time." Al tried to calm him.

"No, it's fine. I understand," I paused. _Turn the concrete into silver? Well, I was aiming to make a watch. So...I could perform alchemy. Interesting._ "Well, um, I'm not an alchemist, but I think I can perform alchemy, if that makes any sense. I don't want the Fuhrer to find out much about me because I don't trust him. I'm not sure what you mean by that next one; I was just trying to get past without the guards seeing me, so I thought I could use alchemy. But when I tried to perform it, I kinda blew up... and as you may have seen, I'm not speaking figuratively here." I explained to them.

Ed gave me a glare, but his eyes weren't filled with hatred; he was intrigued on what I had to say. Very intrigued. "Why did it rebound?" he asked.

I shrugged, slurring, "I dunno." uncertainly.

"What's your name, anyways?" Al asked, opposing Ed on politeness.

"Thanks for asking. My name is Clair Aragon." I smiled at his friendliness.

"I would tell you our names, but you already know us." I could hear the smile in Al's voice as he said that.

A moment later, the doctor stood just outside the open door, cutting off any further questions Ed or Al might have had. "I think it's best for you two to leave now. She's recovered enough."

Two guards walked into the room from behind him. "The Fuhrer wants to see her at Central Command now," one of them stated. I wanted to refuse being separated from Ed and Al, but my opinions didn't count. The brothers left obediently as the two officers dragged me outside the hospital.

When the sunlight hit my face, it blinded me with its shimmer haze. I squinted my eyes until the men shoved me into the back of a black, 1920s style car - if it was considered a car... The seats inside were hard leather and didn't show any signs of having seat belts. My thoughts swung to the worst possible thing as we arrived at headquarters for the second time. _Will he try to kill me? If he does, and then realizes he can't, he might keep me in prison for a lifetime and a half! The homunculi could torture me..._ As I thought that, my spine started to shiver.

"We're here. Get out," the driver demanded as the car stopped. The other guy came around and pulled me out himself.

I wanted to be sarcastic and say, 'Oh, you're the nicest person in the world!' but I knew I was in enough trouble.

They guided me inside the building, leading me upstairs, then to the third floor. We walked down a few halls, and giant red doors swung open into the _Fuhrer's_ office near the end of one hall. The ginormous room stood about ten feet above my head with huge windows and a big enough desk to store an elephant. The ruler of Amestris sat behind it.

I glared at their leader, heart racing, lungs taking in heavy breaths. I felt a sudden, unmoving feeling deep inside my gut telling me to kill him. I've _never_ had the desire to murder someone before - I wouldn't hurt a fly - but at that moment fire burned behind my eyes like a psychopath. I wanted to rip out his lungs, and maybe blow the brains out of the officers who'd brought me here afterwards.

I swallowed nervously. _I'm going crazy! There's gotta be something wrong with me to think like this! Maybe it's the Stone..._

"You wanted to see her."

"Yes, I did," the Fuhrer affirmed. "Thank you, men. You may leave."

The men nodded and left without another word, bowing slightly to the homunculus.

"So, what are you going to do with me?" I stammered, glaring at him as I licked my lips hastily. My head twitched from the conflicting pain in my chest; what was _wrong_ with me?

He gave a deep-throated chuckle, smiling 'kindly'. "A child wouldn't die under my watch. I know you performed alchemy, so I would like you to become a State Alchemist. I want you to take the alchemy exam in a month. I can see the fire burning in your eyes, and I like that about you."

In the midst of my shock at his request, the stone inside me took control of my nerves - or I'd assume it was the Stone anyway. I was on the balls of my feet for hardly a moment before I attacked, trying to kick him in the neck. Instead, he grabbed my leg, snapping it into a multi-fracture. The stone automatically healed it as I fell on my back.

The Fuhrer laughed harder than before, barely able to contain himself. "I knew there was something different about you! You're the girl with the Pure Stone, and I won't take that lightly. Of course I wouldn't ask just _any_ alchemist to become part of the military, but now that I know what you are, I can't wait for you to join." A grin perked his face.

"Who ever said I would?" I interrogated, speaking impulsively.

"This isn't up for negation," the Fuhrer's smile melted into a serious glare. "You either join the military, or you'd better run as fast as you can out of this country and never return. You're like me; you'll die once your stone runs out of energy. Only you're human." He paused before giving me that charming grin again. "Good luck, young alchemist!"

That was obviously a dismissal, but I thought of something and nodded. "Fine, I'll do it. But you have to tell me everything you know about this 'Pure Stone'."

The homunculus shook his head, closing the eye that wasn't covered by a black eye patch for a moment. "Silly girl, you'll learn soon enough. My only advice: don't let your emotions take control of you. The slightest feeling will set it off. Also, I'll give you a secret: my siblings aren't fond of that stone, and they would kill themselves to get rid of it. I'm not sure what's so bad about it, but we don't exactly see eye-to-eye," he paused before continuing, "If I were you, I'd find a teacher first. You may leave know. See you in a month."

I wanted to ask more, but he was right about my emotions. If I didn't leave right now, something worse might happen - though I wouldn't be too upset to see this man ripped to shreds, at least in my current condition. So with that, I strutted out the door, slamming it behind me.

* * *

**Hey! How's it going? Been a good week, hasn't it? I would update sooner - because I love all of you, not just the people who reviewed, but liked as well - but you know how school can get it. At least my chapters are kinda long, right? I know this is a lot like other stories, but I promise you it gets better.  
**

**Hey, this time we learn it's called the Pure Stone before chapter 20, so that's a plus. Thank you all! Next week I'll have at least three updates for Thanksgiving Break and maybe a one-shot. **

**Review me what you liked! :D **

**I did this in the Snow Alchemist, so why not have it in this one, right?: **

**Question of the Chapter: What is your favorite song and band? (I know this doesn't have much to do with anything, but you know me, I'm a questioner. XP)**

**Published: 11/17/13 (Betaed same day thanks to Mysterious Illusion)**


	3. The Loose Cannon

**Chapter 3: The Loose Cannon  
**

* * *

**Ed's PoV**

"Well, Al," Ed started as the two of them trudged up to Central Headquarters. "I guess we gotta tell that bastard Colonel what we heard. Which was a whole lot of _nothing_." He sighed, squinting in the light of the sunset that glared into his eyes.

"Don't be like that, brother. At least we know her name." Al shrugged with a slight smile in his voice.

His brother's words didn't make Ed feel any better. As he halted at the top, he decided to tell Alphonse his thoughts about the girl. "Hey, Al, did you see how she transmuted that wall into silver?" Al nodded, not having really looked at it himself, but now realized what that shiny substance had been. "Well, only the Philosopher's Stone could do something like that, so I think there's a chance she might have it."

"Brother," Al's voice held mixed emotions as he spoke, beginning slowly. "I know you have the right motives, but I think you're being a bit irrational," he admitted tentatively.

"I'm not irrational, Al!" Ed snapped. "You saw it too, and I know you felt that weird...vibe of hers. You did, right? I'm not going crazy." Ed's voice got almost dangerously low at the end there.

"I'm sorry, Ed, but she just seemed like a nice girl. I didn't notice anything odd about her other than that she wasn't hurt after the explosion." Al replied with a quiet, fragile voice. "No 'vibes'."

Ed grunted, shoved his hands in his pockets, bowed his head, then started toward the steps. _All these clues are leading somewhere,_ Ed told himself silently. _and I'm going to figure it out._

Just as Ed passed through Headquarters' doors, the same girl he'd been pondering over bumped into him. He stumbled back, golden eyes meeting blue and green for a moment before the girl let hers fall to the ground. "Uh, I-I'm sorry," she stammered shyly, which reminded him of how Al acted when he bumped into someone on the road.

"No, you're fine," Al answered as though she were talking to him. "We were just going to see Mustang to tell him about you; fancy meeting you right out here." A smile slipped into his voice.

Ed nudged him lightly, a bit annoyed at how he so easily revealed what they were up to. _Why must Al go around telling people exactly what were doing? It's none of their damn business._

"Oh, really? That's cool." She gave them an abrupt, chipper smile - and not one that suggested cruelty or any sort of threat, just a smile. Some things, very few, made Ed's mind wander away from the topic of the Philosopher's Stone; her personality was one of them.

"Clair, right?" Ed questioned, unsure if he was thinking of the correct name. As he spoke, Ed noticed her star necklace had at some point change to a purple color, contrast to the turquoise from earlier. _Huh..._ "Can you stay here with Al until I'm done?" Ed didn't feel so good about leaving Al and this girl together, but for some reason he sensed that he needed her there.

"Uh, of course!" Clair replied, smile never leaving her face.

"Brother," Al tried to whisper, though his armor echoed. He stepped away from Clair for privacy; Ed followed, "do you really think this is a good idea?"

"It'll be fine, Al. I won't take very long," Ed assured. Al didn't look so sure of that as his older brother left him with Clair The Human Bomb; Ed hoped she wouldn't blow up again.

_How did she survive that blast in the first place?_ he wondered suddenly. Another baffling question he couldn't answer.

Ed walked into the building and navigated through hallways and staircases until he reached Mustang's office. The room was smaller than what the Colonel had at Eastern Command, but it did have the same paperwork sitting on the same desk with the same man sat behind them staring at Ed in the same way.

The younger alchemist barged in the room without being asked, shutting the door behind him, and took a seat on a black sofa by the desk; Mustang sighed at him and threw down his pen. Then, the man leaned back in his chair. "So, what did you find out?"

Ed stood up from his seat, suddenly impatient, and began pacing the room. "I don't know," he growled frustrated. "She's not a spy, or an alchemist, really. She talks as if she doesn't have a family, and...I get a weird feeling from her."

"Hm..." Mustang hummed thoughtfully, ruffling through his drawers for something. "I guess that's something you'll have to bring up with her." he concluded. The Colonel found a small piece of paper and handed it over to him. "The Fuhrer wanted me to give this to you."

Hardly as soon as he'd grabbed it, Ed started reading the fine, cursive print. _I, Fuhrer King Brady, have assigned the Fullmetal Alchemist as newly appointed bodyguard of a young girl by the name of Clair Aragon. She will not be permitted to intervene with his studies and findings, but he must protect her from harm's way. From what my records have detected, she has no family, missing persons report, or anyone to take her in as their own. She will stay with him for the time being until next month during the State Alchemist Exams. She might need to learn a few things about alchemy, though, so good luck to all!_ Ed could almost imagine the Fuhrer grinning as he wrote the end.

"What the _hell?_" Ed gasped. "The Fuhrer wants me to let this girl come with me! And I gotta protect her?! Why did he give me _this_ job? Why didn't he give it to _you?_" Ed squinted his eyes annoyed at the Colonel.

The note slipped into his pant's pocket before Mustang spoke. "I did read it, Fullmetal. I don't really like the idea of another teenager in the military, but I'm sure the Fuhrer has his reasons for doing this." He paused. "Well, anyway," Mustang sighed, changing the subject. "I have a bit of an assignment for you. Don't forget about the paperwork either."

"Yeah, yeah," Ed mumbled, letting his eyes slide away from his superior. "What's the assignment then?"

"Since I saw the Fuhrer's note, I'm going to give you an easy one; hardly even an assignment. I want you to head back to Eastern Headquarters with me. You three will stay at Shou Tucker's Estate for the next month until Miss Aragon has her exam. The estate has its own library with a good collection of books, so perhaps there's something there on the Philosopher's Stone."

Ed smirked thoughtfully. "Maybe I can figure out more about Clair while I'm there, too." His face became serious. "When are we leaving?"

"I'll meet you at the train station in an hour." Mustang informed with hardly an expression. Ed took that as a dismissal and left the room, shutting the door behind him. He headed down the hall, around a few corners, and down some stairs to tell his brother the news.

Ed found Alphonse and Clair sitting at the bottom of the steps talking when he got out outside; he attracted their attention. "Hey, Al, guess what? The girl is staying with us."

"Really?" Clair perked, turning around at the sound of his voice.

"What do you mean?" Al sounded almost happy, but he was obviously confused about why the girl was coming.

"According to the Fuhrer, we are now her bodyguards, so we have to 'protect her from harm's way'." Ed explained, putting on a sarcastic tone and making air quotes with his fingers - though he knew this was serious.

"What? Why?"

Ed shrugged at his brother's question, unable to answer. Even he was completely baffled. Why _did_ Bradley want them to be her bodyguard? And...why would she need one for that matter? Ed frowned, thinking this, and walked over beside Clair. He sat down quickly, tucking his jacket underneath him. "Why the hell would you want to join the military, anyway?"

She seemed startled by his question, but replied anyway, her voice slightly tentative. "I didn't want to. The Fuhrer is making me."

Ed thought at first that she was lying, but something in her voice told him different. _Why would the Fuhrer _make_ her become a State Alchemist?_

"Wha-what are you talking about? Ed, she can't join the military!" Al yelped, finally having wrapped his mind around the situation.

Clair leaned back with a sigh."I don't really have a choice, and my test is in a month."

The Elrics stayed quiet, contemplating the weirdness of it all, until Ed finally stood. "Well, besides that, Mustang gave me another assignment. We need to meet him at the station in an hour or so."

"What's the assignment?" Clair was the one to question him, obviously intrigued.

"We're going stay at the Tucker Estate until after you take your exam." Ed explained, his voice turning sour a moment later. "I _still_ don't understand why you're doing that." Clair's eyes popped at his words; Ed frowned. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's nothing." she murmured quickly, putting on a fake smile.

This time Ed _knew_ she was lying through her teeth, but he also knew that this meant he could figure her out soon enough. She was definitely crackable.

After staring at the girl for a moment, Ed shrugged deceptively and started down the stairs, stretching his arms behind his head like he liked to do. "Well, come on then. We have a bastard to catch."

When they arrived at the station, the teenagers found Mustang was bringing Hawkeye along with them - which was fine, since he was paying for the tickets anyway. The train came shortly afterwards. The two adults sat on the opposite side of the train from the kids, so they were left to their own devices.

Not that the three of them said much with a table in-between them. As the train slowly gained speed, Ed eventually yawned and laid his head against the window, quickly falling asleep with the sunlight reflecting off his golden hair.

* * *

Ed awoke as the sun start to dissipate across the sky, the light slowly fading as it set. He blinked tiredly, wondering how long he'd been asleep...

But when he glanced at the table beneath him, his eyes widened, and he was suddenly wide awake. There was a familiar circle drawn on the table. Markings were split in the middle with triangular shapes pointing in several directions, four of them at imaginary corners of the circle: Mustang's Flame Alchemy circle. Many equations and writings covered the rest of the table in black ink.

Swallowing his initial shock, Ed read one of the messy paragraphs upside down: 'The combination of triangles Fire and Air give way a coherent covalent bond between the air particles to form a spark between oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon atoms. This part of the transmutation helps particles A and B from being transposed indirectly within the air to form a chain reaction between relating particles.' Chemical and complex math problems involving quantum physics filled the other half of the table.

Clair was passed out on the other side of the table, using her crossed arms as a stick-like pillow. A black marker trail lied from one of the equations to where the marker sat next to the girl's limp hand.

"Ed, are you awake yet?" Al questioned, apparently not surprised by...that.

"Yeah," Ed murmured. "What is all this...?" The alchemist sat up from leaning against the window, its hard surface gave him a migraine.

"Well," Al started uncertainly. "Clair asked me for a marker after you had fallen asleep. I had one in my armor for safe keeping, but..." he trailed off into a dead silence.

"And..." Ed wanted him to keep going with his explanation before Clair woke.

"For the longest time, I didn't say anything. But when I tried to get her to stop, she wouldn't listen to me," Al paused. "It was like she was lost in her own little world. I-I couldn't believe she knew all this, and I still want to know _how_ she knows it; even you don't know exactly how Colonel's Flame Alchemy works, brother."

Ed became more intrigued with the girl the more his brother spoke. He grinned. "I knew it! There _had_ to be a reason the Fuhrer wanted us to protect her!" Ed tried his best not to let his shouting wake Clair or get Mustang's attention.

"Um...Ed," Al started up again; the older brother looked at him expectantly, "before I show you something...out of the ordinary, what is quantum physics?" Al seemed dumbfounded by the words.

"I'm not completely sure myself," Ed admitted. "but I do know that by putting electrons in certain formulas. It helps researchers study the subatomic level of molecules. Many alchemist don't use it because there isn't any need to, though." Explaining that made Ed think, normally people would think she was abnormally smart for her age, but Ed thought different. What if she...

"Seriously? That's really cool. Maybe she can help us with our research." Al's voice gained a chipper smile to it, but then it grew more serious when he spoke again. "Brother, look at this," Al reached over and lightly moved Clair's arm. A picture was shown beneath it. "Doesn't that remind you of something?"

Ed's eyes widened. "Y-yeah. That's that lion-snake Chimera we fought in Loire. But how does she know about it?" _I doubt two chimeras could look exactly the same._

"She started to write out how it they're alchemically combined, but she fell asleep before she could finish," Al explained. Ed wanted to yell at Al for not waking him sooner, but, thinking about it, he was glad he hadn't. Clair probably wouldn't have written it with Ed watching her. _But how?_ Ed thought. _It's not possible, considering she's not really an alchemist, unless..._ He trailed off, thinking about himself and the Gate. The Gate... _That's impossible._ Ed decided, but he stored the words written on the table in the back of his mind anyway, locked away to never be forgotten.

Ed stared at the equations again and realized that, while most of the answers were organized with great detail, they were wrong by all measures. Hm...

Al poked the mysterious girl, while Ed noticed something about her necklace; it was an extremely dark obsidian color. Interesting.

Suddenly, Clair's fingers, hand, and parts of her arm started shaking violently. "Clair, wake up!" cried Al, nudging her with his hand.

* * *

**Clair's POV**

A sharp, searing pain pried deep into my core as I sat there, making my mind and heart race like two wolves fighting for the finish. My eyes burned and I filled terror; I didn't want Al to see me like this, so I had lain my hands on the table to use them as a comforter between me and the hard, dusty surface.

When I'd been working with Mustang's transmutation circle, I was hoping the pain would subside. For some reason, I wanted to show Ed and Al that I knew about alchemy. For a while the pain had faded... but then it suddenly hit me again in a wave of nausea, making me cringe. The agony pounded within my stomach, but the feeling was not a hunger pain.

I heard Al calling for me to wake up, but I was never really asleep. I wanted to tell him that I was okay, so don't worry about me! But my mouth wouldn't utter a word. Then, another agonizing shock shot through me; I tried to swallow it down with fear in my gut as it dug deep into my mind, but it shook a migraine into existence, rattling my skull.

I heard Al speaking. "...take her to the hospital once we get to Eastern."

"No, please don't do that," I told them quickly, my voice struggling. I knew the doctors might take blood samples or find out something worse that the brothers shouldn't know. I lifted my head slightly with my hands holding my forehead painfully. "I-I just need something to eat b-because I...I haven't eaten in three days, that's all."

"Three _days_?" Al gasped, shocked. "Well...we promise we'll eat once we get there."

"So, tell us, what is this?" Ed asked immediately, pointing at the stuff on the table. He didn't seem concerned at all that I was in pain or hadn't eaten in three days. Did he really care that little about me?

"It's Mustang's Flame Alchemy circle," I told him anyway. "I do this stuff when I'm bored. I'm sorry... I get lost in my head sometimes. You can erase it if you want." I glanced at the split circle as I spoke, only making my head and organs hurt more.

"You know you're wrong, though, don't you?" Ed tapped the table with his metal fingers. "These equations are completely off by more than one amount. First off, Pi is squared at the end and it's all divided by three..." he explained, letting it click in my head.

I gasped. "Of course! When you square Pi, it doubles the electron configuration because there's more than one set of eight electrons! Ed, you're genius!" I excitedly screamed, head still pounding. Ed smiled like his conceited self, but he seemed a bit confused. "Hey, will you teach me for the State Alchemist test?"

Ed's face clearly showed him fighting with himself for the answer, but he eventually decided: "Fine, I will. But you gotta show me _this week_ what makes you so special, all right?"

"Ed, she doesn't have to prove herself. She wants to learn," Al assured, but was left unanswered.

I wasn't sure whether I should cry from knowing Ed would figure me out, or be joyful that Edward Elric, a State Alchemist as of twelve, would teach me. This was too much for my mind to withstand, so I remained emotionless until we arrived at Eastern an hour later.

* * *

I jumped out of my seat when the train came to a stop. My nausea flowed bitterly to where I supposed the Pure Stone still lay in my stomach, but the headache subsided. Ed grabbed his suitcase as he left his seat.

"Fullmetal," Mustang called as we stepped out together. "I'll meet you at headquarters in an hour to show you your new residents."

"Fine, whatever."

My feet were wobbly from sitting on the train for so long, and my legs were getting numb. Al, noticing this, had to ask, "Are you okay?"

"Fine." I answered. "Where are we eating at, anyways?" I asked calmly, trying not to look in any way abnormal; it was best if I just blended in with this huge crowd.

"I was thinking seafood or something..." Ed suggested.

I blinked. "No, not that! It would make me feel worse. Is there a Chinese, Italian, or Mexican restaurant? Surely in this big city-" I stopped, realizing the Elric brothers were staring at me, dumbfounded by my bizarre reaction. "Okay... I uh, I'll eat wherever you want to go."

Ed nodded, his expression curious, and pointed his nose in a seemingly random direction. "Follow me, then."

* * *

We stopped at a restaurant that looked like a small, humble store from the outside. A man swept the walk under a sign that read: 'We have it all. You name it, we'll serve it'. Seemed like a tiny old place. Probably had okay food, nothing gourmet...

Never judge a book by its cover: Inside the building, there hung many colorful and bright chandeliers and fans around numerous other decorations, while the crowd was quite small regardless, and it smelled _marvelous_.

A waiter in a neat white suit sat us at a booth that could hold maybe twelve people if it had to; he turned to Ed. "What can I get for you today, Master Elric?" the waiter asked, pausing to roll his eyes under his curly brown hair. "Or do I really have to ask?"

"Just the usual." Ed answered, a half smirk adorning his lips.

After writing a few words down on his notepad, the man turned his amber gaze on me. "So, what will it be for you, young miss?"

"Um...what do you have?"

"We have everything from raisin to elephant meat."

"Do you say that to all your customers? Because," I chuckled, "why would anyone eat elephant meat?"

The waiter frowned for a moment, then put on a grin, and laughed, "Hey, I like your attitude. I think I have the perfect thing for you. It'll all be ready in an hour."

A minute after the man had left, I turned my gaze to the short alchemist beside me. "So do you come here often?"

"Whenever we're around. It might not look like it, but this is the best and most expensive place to eat in East City." Ed replied. His hands sat on the top of the short booth in a slump position. Al sat in front of us behind the humongous table, which could roughly hold fifteen plates, give or take.

I thought of something. "You know, I never did erase what I wrote on that table..."

"It'll be fine!" Al exclaimed almost cheerfully, but I sensed a change in his tone, like...he didn't trust me. Of course, neither of them probably did after that... "They'll get someone else to erase it."

We stayed quiet then for most of the hour. I was in a very awkward position here; I wanted to say something, but I was afraid of spilling the truth to them. I was good at keeping secrets, but hiding secrets that intrigued Edward Elric... that was a completely different story.

"So...Clair. Where have you been?" Al asked, his tone slightly awkward. I gave him a confused look. "I mean, where did you live? What was your home-life like?" he paused. "Th-that is, if you're okay with telling us."

"It was nice. I miss my parents the most, though..." I whimpered at the end, not quite thinking about how they'd react.

"What happened to your parents, anyway?" Ed sounded harsh, leaning into the conversation.

"Ed! Don't be like that," Al chided his brother. "She's not here so we can interrogate her." He turned to me, his armor clinking slightly as he moved. "It's okay; we're here to help, if you want."

"No, it's okay. I don't mind you asking," I gave a bright smile to lighten the mood. "I'm not completely sure what country I'm from. I've traveled across the globe from country to country without any real direction," I easily spoke one of the most important lies of my entire life. Then I continued, quickly thinking up a good false answer for Ed's question that didn't involve death - because he may just get more suspicious of me if it did. "As for my parents: I was very young, maybe three or four, and living in the country side when a soldier came to our house asking for my dad. He had to go because of his 'job' as an alchemist, and later my mom was taken, too. Even today, I'm unsure of the reasons. I can barely even remember my parents' faces, but somehow I know what happened to them."

None of that was true of course; I could remember everything about my parents from my dad's brownish-green fuzzy beard to my mom's glasses, and both their smiles when I felt proud about my schoolwork was clear in my mind. (How could I forget my own parents in two days?)

"That's awful," Al's armor echoed with his sympathetic voice. "Our mother died when were young, too, and our dad left us."

"Yeah," Ed growled, glaring at the table with the memory in his mind. "That bastard didn't even have the nerve to come to her funeral." He paused and glanced at me almost sheepishly, like he hadn't meant to reveal so much.

I wanted to agree with Ed on that statement - their father leaving them like that was really wrong - but I felt sorry for their father. He had been through so much. Ed and Al couldn't imagine it, and they wouldn't believe me if I told them the truth.

The waiter came back finally with one...two...three...four trays? Each of the trays had about three more plates on them. I knew Ed ate more than a baby elephant everyday, but geez...that was a lot. The waiter handed me a few of the plates; one had a hamburger and a few little appetizers on the side, and the other had noodles with rice and beans. He handed me some iced tea as well, but this didn't have the taste of McDonald's sugar and watered-down tea. It actually tasted like...tea.

"What's this?" I asked the waiter after picking up something from my tray; it looked a bit like dark bacon...

"That's deer jerky. You just look like the kind of girl." he smirked and winked.

"What? Really?" I pulled my head back in surprise, then hesitantly tasted the jerky; it...it gave me a feeling of home.

"Is it good...?"

I paused for a while, lost in my own thoughts, before answering. I nodded. "Yes, thank you! Of course it's wonderful."

"I told you," Ed smirked. "this is the best restaurant in Eastern City. It might even be the best in Amestris." He chuckled, then started digging into his own plates; there were at _l__east_ ten.

We finished around the same time, taking a half hour tops. Considering I had a lot less than him, that was impressive. "Your stomach feel better?" Al asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, much better." I half-lied. My stomach felt a _bit_ better, but it still ached. Stupid stone. What was it doing? Next thing I knew, I'd probably sprout wings or something else ridiculous. Couldn't Truth at least have given me a bit of background information about this thing?

After Ed payed for our food, we headed to Eastern Headquarters. As we got there, I noticed something: the time. "Hey, weren't we supposed to meet Mustang an hour ago?"

"He'll get over it," Ed answered easily.

We headed through a labyrinth of hallways to the man's room. It was exactly the same as I'd imagined it: Same black, leather couches, and same Mustang in his same chair with Hawkeye organizing his drawers in the corner of the room. "I can't believe you took so long, Fullmetal," Same disapproving voice. "I never knew _you_ to be a slow eater." Mustang stopped then, clearing his throat. I glanced at Ed, and all I could say was that glare wasn't pleasant. "Anyway, Lieutenant Hawkeye, will you take them to the Tuckers' Estate so I can finish these papers?"

"Of course, sir." Hawkeye gave a nod, then guided us outside the building to her car.

We all sat in the back with Al's armor taking up half the seat, resulting in a complete lack of elbow room. He said he was sorry, but that didn't help. Ed's automail was digging into my spine, and my knee was buried in-between his legs. I didn't know how I got into this position, but I was _not_ amused. Edward wasn't the happiest camper in the world either. Thankfully nothing cut me... I didn't want to heal in front of them...

When Hawkeye opened the doors a while later, I managed to pull myself out of the car and gasped, "Yes! I can breath!"

We walked through the gate of Tucker's home and quickly trudged up the stairs. When Hawkeye knocked on the door, it opened up to reveal Nina. "Hellow?"

"Uh, hi there, is your dad home?" Hawkeye asked nicely.

The little girl nodded. "Daaddy!" She went running down the hall. "Someone is here to see you!"

Tucker came back with his daughter in his arms. "What did I say about opening doors for people without my permission, Nina?"

"I'm sowry daddy, but they looked nice," he whimpered, giving us all a small smile. I smiled back, though I really hate little kids. I guess, I was just glad I had a chance to change this girl's fate.

"Well," Tucker frowned, then gave his daughter a nice smile, "okay, dear, but will you let the grown-ups talk for a while? You go play with Alexander now."

"Okay!"

Suddenly, before Shou could tell us to come inside, a familiar white dog came bounding around the corner of the house and threw Ed to the ground. Alexander growled playfully and held the alchemist down. Ed didn't admit defeat until the dog started licking him. "Hey, what's the big idea, mutt?"

Tucker laughed, amused, along with his daughter. "Alexander, get off our guest," the man commanded; Alexander obliged. Tucker looked at us again. "Come in if you like." Al and Hawkeye nodded and he led us inside his 'cozy' home.

_Why must I stay in a killer's house for a month?_ I internally complained. The world hated me so much...

After Hawkeye left a few minutes later, we talked for a good two hours among ourselves. Tucker was ecstatic that I had to become a State Alchemist without a choice, and his eyes popped at Ed once he realized he was the Fullmetal Alchemist. Basically, I had to get the boring, déjà vu stuff done before asking, "Where's your library?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should give you a tour of our house," the man smiled and glanced around. "Sorry for the mess, though. We don't exactly have a mother's touch around here anymore."

"That's fine. Just tell me where the library is and we'll stay in there for a week without disturbing you," I decided rudely. He gave me a little glare, but it faded just as fast when he obliged to show us his books.

"I have some books about things even the National Library doesn't give information on," Tucker informed us when we got to the library, "so please take as much time as you want. You're going to need it if you're thinking of becoming a State Alchemist." He said without emotion. I wanted to smart mouth to him, tell him, _I _have_ to become a State Alchemist. It's not like I _want_ to!_ But I realized it would be a bad idea to bring attention to myself like that. Ed was keeping enough of an eye on me.

* * *

When I said I wouldn't leave the library for a week, I meant it. Al gave me and Ed sandwiches to eat, often studying with us. Ed gave me a few alchemy-related tests, but, with my chaotic mind, I over-thought everything handed to me. One day, Ed lost his patience with me, and he left me and Al for a good four hours before returning in his "happiest mood ever".

Now my clock read Monday, the start of a new week. I'd been here a whole nine days. In barely over a week, I'd succeeded in learning the basics of alchemy from books. For the first three days I hadn't slept _once_ because it was so interesting. I learned how Phosphorous was the material in our retina that helped us see in the dark after focusing on it for fifteen minutes. Cool, huh?

In time, I even became used to the constant ache in my stomach. I guessed that was just the stone's way of saying, _'I'm here!'_ Ugh.

"Hey, we're going out today," Ed announced, standing next to me - Ed really was short, wasn't he? I was only five foot, one inch, and somehow I was taller than him. He half-smirked, "I want to test your alchemy skills."

At first, I refused the idea. But after I thought about it... They were going to see me transmute sooner or later, right? We traveled a few miles before stopping on the outskirts of town near a tall oak tree. A gravel road beside us acted like a highway into the next town.

Al started drawing a simple array with one circle and a triangle on the inside, the one for water. Then he stepped back, and Ed nodded in approval. "See what you can do with that," the midget ordered.

I took in a deep breath, laying my hands on the edge of the circle like any young alchemist. Only problem: I had the Pure Stone. I thought it would be okay at first, but my gut began churning with an indecisive rage. "Get back!" I screamed at Ed and Al, realizing what was about to happen. I was too late though. Ed and Al were thrown backwards from the blast. Ed slammed against the oak tree, while his brother was thrown into the road. Water spewed in a fiery mist from the transmutation that scalded me to the touch.

As the steam faded, the brothers stood up, staring at me with widened eyes. I was, apparently, healing myself from the scorch marks on my skin. I had no control. I took a nervous step back. "Uh...th-this is not what it looks like."

* * *

**Yay! I finished finally! Oh geez, I wanna write the next chapter now, but it's getting late here already. *sigh* Anyways...I loved it when you told me about your favorite last time, so... (I should've asked this first, because I've run out of fanfics to read for the time being...and I don't feel like looking either...)  
**

**Question of the Chapter: What is your favorite fanfictions? (FMA or non-fma related.) **

**Oh, and I wanna do this new thing. I have a creative writing for everyone! XP You can make this into one-shot or leave comment below of what you think would happen. **

Winry and Ed had been through a lot, Ed had gotten his brother back and hadn't seen him in a while. This was before they had kids or even thought remotely that they would someday, so they decided to take a vacation with just the two of them. Ed wanted to get away from Amestris, somewhere not in Xing either, but in a country far away in distant lands. They traveled quite a bit before stopping at a country.

After living in the city for a few days, they noticed something very...off about it. The king had very cruel punishment for his victims in certain crimes. He didn't have a jury, but the criminal did have a say in his/her punishment. Every other day, people gathered in an arena just to watch what would happen to a criminal disrupting the city.

The man/women was given a choice in their fate, door one and door two. What they didn't know is what lied behind them, and the king was always amused by which door they would pick. Behind one would hold a admiring lad or lady that the criminal had to marry within the arena without a say in the matter. On the other hand, the other door laid a vicious chimera, or the kings pet. Let's just say, a scream was usually their last say on their dying breath.

Ed knew was very wrong. They weren't even proven as criminal or innocent before they were thrown in there... So what would Ed do to change this? Would he let Winry stay back or give her a duty to uphold while changing the ways of this society? And _if_ someone does do a one-shot, I'll post one myself as well! :D

**Thanks for reading! **

**Published: 11/25/13**

**Words: 6,173, or roughly 20 pages...  
**


	4. Don't Trust Me, Please!

**Chapter 4: Don't Trust Me, Please!**

* * *

**Clair's PoV**

"Uh...this is not what it looks like." The anxious words came rasping from my parched mouth, voice shaking horribly as Ed gave me the shocked glare of the century.

After a few moments, however, the anger dulled enough for me to see a mix of complex emotions behind those golden eyes. And as he spoke, his gaze began to show more certainty. "I had some doubt," he started, voice low, "but now I can see the truth. Give me your Philosopher's Stone!"

My head practically jerked backwards at the sudden question; I gave him a sharp look of bewilderment before breaking out laughing, which caused Ed's expression to turn to bafflement as well. I giggled, shaking my head. "Oh, Ed, geez. I'm sorry, but I don't have a Philosopher's Stone. If I did, I woulda gave it to you without hesitation. You deserve it more than anyone."

His eyes widened, now more suspicious. "But h-how is that possible?"

Al trumped over, having gotten up from where he'd been the middle of the street. "I'm with brother on this one," he half-agreed, voice hesitant. "It only makes sense if you have a _Philosopher's_ Stone. You can't just randomly heal otherwise...can you?"

I sighed at the Elrics. Of course they would think that... I pinched my nose and rubbed my face in exhaustion before speaking; this situation felt wrong. "I understand... I-I don't know what to say." I bowed my head and sat down where I stood, which was a small log was conveniently placed, huddling my knees like a small child trying to beg forgiveness.

Ed and Al mumbled a few words to each other before glancing at me, like they both wanted to say something...

Suddenly, Ed strut over to me, ripping my mood necklace from my neck on what seemed like a daring impulse. I watched as he held it in his hands, the color beginning to alter to one I had never seen in all the time I had worn it: a radiant reddish-orange color, like a sunset dying below the horizon. "This isn't a Philosopher's Stone either, is it?" Ed asked suspiciously; I shook my head. "_Damn!_ Where is it!?" Ed grabbed me and began searching fruitlessly inside my pockets. My face began to redden with uneasiness, knowing he wouldn't find anything; he stopped when nothing was found. "Aren't you going to help search, Al?" he growled, frustrated.

Al glanced between us briefly, then he sighed. "Brother, I don't think..." he trailed. "Well, I think there's something I need to tell you. Clair?" He looked at me, and I nodded obediently; he began to explain. "Do you remember when you left me and Clair on the front steps of Headquarters to speak with the Colonel?" Ed nodded carefully. "Well, Clair kind of...had a mental breakdown, and she told me what's been happening to her, why she can perform alchemy but not...be an alchemist."

"What? And you didn't _tell_ me? Al!" Ed shouted sharply at his brother, but his irritation slowly died. He sighed and turned to me, still talking to Al. "I guess this explains why you were defending her so much. And why you weren't bothered by her alchemy..." He paused, then turned to Al. "So what did she tell you?"

Al began to explain the Pure Stone, telling about how it gave me my alchemic powers - he didn't say anything about my side of the Gate or Truth though because I hadn't had the time to tell him about it. I hadn't told him about how it could heal me, either, so that was why he'd been surprised.

I shouldn't have told him about the Pure Stone in the first place, really, but what else was I supposed to do in a nervous breakdown? Scream?

Ed sat beside me on the log while Alphonse explained, eyes darting between his brother and the ground. (Not surprisingly, some of the plants were dying from my alchemic catastrophe.) Ed didn't believe the explanation at first, but since it was his brother explaining it instead of me, he caught on a bit easier, and without asking too many questions. "So you've known Clair had this 'Pure Stone' thing for a week and never even _thought_ of telling me?"

"I wanted to!" Al insisted. "I begged Clair for _days_ to let me tell you, but she always refused me." He sighed.

I spoke up. "You shouldn't argue with him, anyways, Al. This is all my fault," I sniffled, scooting off the log so my back was facing Ed. "I found this the other day," I murmured and slipped my sapphire coat off, pulling the collar of my shirt down a bit to show the back of my right shoulder. On it was a small, blue circle with two infinity symbols interlocking across it; a cross hid behind a dove in the center. The dove's wing jut out from its body, showing the universal symbol for spirit, hope, and freedom. "I didn't have this before the Pure Stone came into my life." 'Or my stomach.'

I almost jumped when Edward touched it with his cold gloves, sending a shiver down my spine. The fangirl in me started leaping for joy, and I kept a secret smile secluded to myself as he touched my shoulder. I noticed it was his automail hand, too, and after feeling it for a few moments, I realized his arm didn't feel anything like how I'd imagined it; the metal was rougher to the touch. I thought this as he continued to move his scruffy stokes across my back, and for once the hustling beats in my chest weren't because of the Pure Stone.

"I've never read anything about this," Ed murmured, moving his hand away and turning his head to Al.

I let go of my dolphin shirt, tossing my cozy jacket over my shoulders to hide it from the chilly fall weather. Strangely, after telling them the truth, my stomach ache vanished. Maybe the Pure Stone wasn't causing it. Maybe it was...me?

"Yeah, me either," I agreed, turning my head. "So...are you still going to teach me? You might be the shortest guy I know, but I don't know anybody as strong as you mentally or physically."

"_WHO YOU CALLING SHORT!_" Ed blared, the glare from earlier returning.

"If brother doesn't want to teach you, then I will," Al chimed in, stepping forward so his brother wouldn't murder me. "It's not everyday we find someone like you. It would be a waste of potential to ignore, and you're nice, anyway." A genuine smile appeared on my face.

Ed gave Al a good long stare, an ugly look of disapproval etched across his face, before throwing his arms up. "Fine! I give. We'll train you. But first you need to fix what you've done."

"Fix?" I tilted my head in confusion for a moment, but then I realized what he meant; after looking at the dried, yellow grass and wilting flowers, I knew this was my fault. "Oh..." I breathed. "How do I fix it?"

"You're the one who stayed up late studying. Why don't you show me?" Ed smirked, obviously just testing me again. I noticed that my necklace still dangled from his hand. It remained its orange tint; Ed remained vexed at me.

"Okay!" I chirped, clapping my hands together. (Wait- Why did I do that?) Then, as I laid my hands against the circle, I tensed, afraid of what would happen. _Don't blow up. Don't blow up. Don't blow up...!_ I chanted silently, squeezing my eyes shut tight. My mind flooded with ideas; some were explosions, others were more along the lines of making the water underground cooler so it wouldn't kill the plants. The latter happened; it sounded best after all. 'How extreme could it get, anyway?'

The dried up ground quickly became swampy, and the watery surface froze into a frigid, black ice. It spread a few yards in radius around me, touching Ed, Al, and some of the road. Suddenly, an old, black car raced by and got caught on the ice; it swerved to the side directed at the now-panicking Elrics. The man inside the vehicle was...Mustang? My mind raced; I had to fix this before he crashed!

"No!" I screamed, raising my hands to face each other. "Come on, I _will_ do something right today!" I yelled in frustration. I didn't realize until after the fact, but both me and Ed clapped hands at the same time, pushing them down against the icy earth. Our alchemy intertwined then to create a mixed, nuclear catastrophe. The explosion burst my eardrums, throwing me back, rolling me down a slippery slope closer to town. I finally stopped when my head smacked into an elm tree beside the road.

"Ed. Al. Ow..." I groaned quietly, looking around for them. I felt a warm liquid dribbling down my lip as I sat against the tree. When I rubbed it with the back of my hand and brought it up to my face, I saw that it was covered in my blood - or, well, the strange pink stuff inside my body anyway._ But I'm not healing... Why isn't_ _my stone working...?_ I groaned again. _This is what I get for relying on it so much..._ The blast must've knocked it out. Wait-

Finally pinpointing the source of pain, I glanced down at my leg; it had a broken piece of wood the size of a small chicken poking through and sticking out of both sides. _Did that tree blow up? _The stone seemed to have actually healed everything around the wound, but apparently it couldn't get rid of a stick. "_What!_" I cried, only now feeling the brunt of the pain. I grimaced. "...Damn. I have to pull it out before someone sees me!" I hollered in a frightful tone. My voice shook with the words, and I found myself grunting with the agony that filled me when I took hold of the branch. Though in pain, I didn't hesitate to yank it out in a swift motion, trying to hold onto my screams - but I wasn't able to. "_AACH!_" My voice cracked, and a few sparks danced across my leg before fading.

After the pain subsided and the blood on the side of my mouth began to dry, I closed my eyes, waiting for someone to come searching for me. I was too tired to move now.

There was a quiet rustling sound a moment later, and my eyes snapped open to find a little squirrel coming toward me. It stopped at my stomach. I smiled uncomfortably at the animal, trying to act warmly toward it. "Uh...hi?" The squirrel made a little chittering sound and threw multiple walnuts from its cheeks at my head one after another. "Ow. Ow. OW. What did I ever do to you?" I muttered at the creäture.

The squirrel shot its nose into the air and began to strut away, running up a nearby tree as soon as it reached it._ So, so weird... Stupid squirrel, anyways._

Ten minutes passed after the grey squirrel left, and I thought of the brothers. Ed was probably dying to scream at me, and Al most likely would...understand me, a little at least. I needed to find them and Mustang to apologize.

What the heck was Mustang doing there, anyway?

I got up, finding my leg had healed, which still amazed me. I climbed to the top of the hill to find Mustang's car frozen in a glacier of ice in the middle of the road. The oak tree had been completely ripped to shreds by my recklessness. I sighed, shaking my head. "Of course. Every time I used this stone it's taken to the extremes. I should stop using it before it kills someone I care about..."

I thought that nobody was around me as I spoke, but a moment later found Al storming out of the bushes with sticks and tree limbs poking from his armor. "Clair," he started in a stern voice. "if you give up, then that Stone wins. Alchemy is what holds it together. You just need to utilize its power and use it to your advantage, otherwise...who knows what it could do?" Al's tone had been serious then, but it quickly turned nervous as he added, "Have you seen Ed?"

I gasped. "No! You haven't either?" My mind leaped to attention. If my leg was _stabbed_, who knows what happened to _him?_ We frantically searched for his body through the weeds and across the road; we found him a few minutes later next to the other side of the street near a little cave-like place on a tiny hill, blood seeping out of his head...

* * *

**Ed's PoV**

Ed yelped as he was thrown across the road against his will. His whole body hurled into a stone wall; he almost feared his spine had cracked. His neck popped as his skull bashed against the wall in a whiplash. Blood poured from his head, but his heart kept a consistency of speeding up and down. Ed had felt worse pain in his life, but this time it was a girl a year younger than him that had caused it, without even _meaning_ to. _Pathetic.._.

"Brother! Are you okay?" came a concerning voice. 'Al.' Ed forced his eyes open in a squint to find his brother standing over him. He blinked, then noticed certain explosive _maniac_ behind the suit of armor.

"Clair!" Edward roared, scrambling to his knees and scowling directly into her abnormal eyes. "Don't _ever_ use alchemy again until we know what we're dealing with, _alright?_" Clair didn't say anything, so Ed growled, "**_Okay?_**" Her eyes widened drastically and she nodded. Ed nodded back and forced himself to stand up, wobbling from the head injury for only a moment before purposing his scowl. "Good. Now here." Ed threw her broken necklace on the ground; she instantly snatched it.

Ed began to stomp off then, but Clair rushed forward to stop him, holding up the necklace. "Can you fix it?"

The alchemist sighed and clapped his hands, almost instantly fixing the snapped chain. Clair's mouth hung open in amazement for a few moments, then she grinned. "Thank you."

"What's so special about this necklace, anyway?" Ed grumbled, handing it back to her.

"It's a mood necklace," Clair provided, fingering the emerald star. "Whatever the color it is, that's what your mood is. Since it's green, it shows that you're uncomfortable around me." She paused. "...I wouldn't blame you..."

Ed huffed. His mood was something he wanted to keep to himself, and that necklace would just show it? But, he realized, he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding his emotions with or without it. So, instead of being more mad at her, he just sighed, shoving his curiosity about how it worked to the back of his mind. He looked away. "Whatever."

"Um..." Clair started, "you need to fix something else, too." She pointed down the road to where the car was now trapped in a...giant glacier?

Ed's eyes widened. "What the _hell?_ I don't remember doing that!_ See?_ This is why you're banned from using alchemy!" he repeated angrily. His eyes flickered at Alphonse as the suit of armor shifted back, and he could tell his brother didn't agree, but he also knew Al wouldn't protest.

They all made their way over to the car's driver-side window to find Mustang frozen inside the glacier, a slightly comical look upon his face. Ed almost laughed, but his irritable attitude made it come out as a growl. "Can't we just leave the bastard in there?"

Al's helmet lowered. "Ed."

"Fine," Edward grumbled in compliance, clapping his hands together. He pressed them against the nearest chunk of ice and it began to melt, eventually leaving a slightly rusted car on the side of the road as the liquid absorbed into the muddy ground.

The Colonel gasped, taking in a huge, greedy breath; the rest of his body fell limp on the steering wheel. But he was alive at least, so Ed didn't worry about his well-being, instead opting to reach through the open window and slap him on the back, a grin on the younger alchemist's face. "You should be glad I saved you, Colonel. Now you owe me."

Mustang gave him a dirty look, but Ed didn't care. The older man, voice rough from being frozen, growled, "Fullmetal, what the hell are teaching this girl? I thought I would come check on you, but it looks like you need a better handle on the situation." He paused, sighed, and slumped his head against the steering wheel in exasperation. "I can't believe the Fuehrer gave you this position in the first place," he groaned, some desperation straining his voice. Ed noticed his breathing was getting a bit steadier, though.

"No, no, no," Al waved his hands. "I promise you, Colonel, we're doing fine. It was just a little accident."

Clair stepped in nervously. "I'm really, _really_ sorry for freezing you. Please for give me; it's hard to get the whole alchemy concept right now." The girl gave a shy smirk-like smile and bit her lip anxiously.

The man sighed and tightened his grip on the steering wheel, apparently still perturbed by his frozen experience. ('Heh-heh.') "Well, I hope you can get the hang of it soon, otherwise I'm going to have to do something about you." He glared, then frowned at the dashboard. "Maybe the Fuehrer is actually on something, though. You might know next to nothing about alchemy, but how you have so much power regardless..." the Colonel trailed off thoughtfully, then he looked at them again. "How about I give you a ride back to town? I think you've all had enough training for one day."

They all agreed and piled into the car. Ed got the front seat, while Clair and Al got the back; supposedly, he didn't ride in the front seat of Hawkeye's car before because she still considered Ed a kid. But Mustang knew he was a child too, and Ed knew that he did - though it pissed him off a bit - so he was just polite enough to let the other two have some elbow room this time.

Everyone remained mute until they made it back to Tucker's house. When they arrived, before Ed could get out of the car to follow the others inside, Mustang grabbed his arm. "Listen," he started sternly. "I'm not trying to act like Hughes, but I'm not a stranger, Fullmetal. If there's something...wrong with that girl, then tell me." He narrowed his eyes. "I know she's different."

Ed broke out of the Colonel's grip, muttering irritably. "She's perfectly normal, Colonel - apart from her habit of blowing things up. But we'll fix that." He smirked to hide the lie, then, that being said, he headed inside, effectively cutting off anything Colonel Bastard might've had to say. When he reached the doorway, he glanced back and watched as the car drove away from the Tucker residence.

* * *

After that ordeal, Ed, Al and Clair sat in the library for days doing research. Once and a while Ed would glance over Clair's shoulder to see what she was studying; usually it was either math or chemicals related to a pure element on the periodic table. However, none of it was about the Pure Stone. Of course, if Ed hadn't heard about the Pure Stone from his own research, she probably wouldn't find anything either, so he never really expected it...

Still, somehow, deep inside his gut, he felt glad that Clair wanted to learn.

"Hey!" Clair shouted a few days into it, jumping up from her cross-legged position on the floor. She held up a book. "It says something about the Philosopher's Stone!"

The Elrics came running as though all their hopes and dreams were being answered... But then they got there and Ed narrowed his eyes at the paper. "This says the 'Philosophy of Sulfur'."

"Oh," Clair deadpanned. Then she scowled. "Well, screw this!" She threw her book on the floor in frustration. "I've staring at these words for too long. I give up. I'll never learn all this in a month for that stupid test!" She stopped ranting to yawn, her eyes falling half-closed. She was obviously tired, but Ed went and slapped Clair on the back of her head. "Ow," she winced, glaring at him confusedly. "What was that for?"

"For giving up," Ed growled. "It took Al and me years to learn alchemy, but _we_ never gave up in the face of a lit-"

"You guys are prodigies!" Clair yelled, her voice shaking. Then it mellowed, "I'm not. I'm not you guys, I'm not a prodigy." Ed glanced over and caught Al's glowing gaze; they really couldn't sympathize with her. "Look," she continued. "I'm sorry. I'm smart, but not this smart. "

"How about we test you?" Al suggested quickly, a smile hiding behind his soft, soul eyes. Ed could tell he was desperate to help.

Clair hesitated, uncertain, then she nodded. "I'm okay with that idea. As long as it's an actual test instead of, you know...using my Pure Stone." Clair rolled her eyes at her own words, suggesting the absurdity notion. Ed's eye twitched at the term 'Pure Stone.' "Of course you wouldn't let me do that after last time..." she corrected, apparently noticing this.

And so, an hour later, Ed gave Clair a non-multiple choice test filled with response questions and tested heavily on alchemy technics and strategy. He would have finished sooner, but he wanted to make the test like the Alchemy Exam; also, he wanted to understand Clair's thoughts on different equations, so he was extra careful i wording the problems.

It took her a while to complete the test, much longer than the time the examiners would've given her. This worried Ed just a bit, but he decided she would get better with time.

When Clair turned it in for Ed to grade, he was quite surprised to find that Clair was...right. At least with most of it. He reluctantly showed her the paper with a grade written at the top: 58% She'd gotten little less than half of them wrong. Clair almost cried as she looked at the paper. "I-I can't believe it. I've never gotten anything worse than a 76% in my life! Especially on an exam! I'm an A student!"

Al sat beside Clair to comfort her, but Ed didn't really see why she needed it; she just needed to study more. It wasn't like it was the end of the world. "It's okay," Al spoke softly to her. "Alchemy isn't something anyone can master without years of experience."

_Or seeing the Truth..._ Ed thought to himself. _But this girl hasn't seen Truth... Still not possible._

"But..." Clair sniffled, tilting her head up at Edward with an honest frown. "I either pass this test or I'm kicked out of the country. That's what the Fuehrer told me, anyways." She looked down with a sad sigh.

Ed's eyes widened. "_What?_ Why the heck would he kick you out of the country?"

Clair shrugged. "Anyway, I should get back to studying." Her frown abruptly turned upside-down as she picked up a random book beside her. Her optimistic personality astounded, and slightly bothered, Ed. "How about I take the test again in a week to see how much I've improved?"

"Sounds great!" Al chimed and started helping her study. Ed stood off to the side and leaned on a bookshelf, thinking about how much this girl might get involved in their lives. If she passed the test, would he still have to protect her?_ I hope not...Then I'll be stuck with her, and I won't be able to research the Philosopher's Stone._

Ed soon went to bed in his guest room while the other two stayed up late studying. He needed shut-eye for the days ahead of him; who knew what would come next with this girl? He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with her for long.

* * *

Ed's eyes shot open. 'NO!' He gasped heavily and, sweating profoundly, he shot up, eyes darting around the room as he thought fearfully of his mother, the Pure Stone stuck in the back of his mind...

But he soon realized he was just in the guest bedroom. He let out a remorseful sigh of relief, leaning back. "It was just a dream."

Once he'd recovered from that, the alchemist noticed there were noises outside his window, like playing and laughter. Curious, the boy moved his curtains out of the way and watched as Al and Clair ran around outside with Nina and Alexander at their heels. Snow covered the landscape, crystallized trees, dripping icicles, and snow drifts scattered around beautifully. He accidentally caught Clair's blue and green eyes then and smirked, shaking his head at...well, something. He decided to get up.

But then, as Ed began towards the door to get breakfast, something cold hit his ear. He froze where he stood, unmoving as the cold numbed his face. A moment later, he glanced over at the window and saw that half a snowball was stick to the screen; some of it had sprayed through, hitting him. Clair stood outside with her tongue sticking out. "I bet you can't touch this!" she shouted childishly.

Ed smirked, the childish demeanor catching on. "You're gonna pay for that!"

"Oh, shit," Ed heard Clair mutter. Laughing, he ran and threw on his coat and gloves before rushing outside to greet her.

As soon as Ed went outside, freezing stiff from the chilly air. His jacket wasn't helping in the slightest. Clair took cover in a fort that blended in with the silvery snow. The only reason Ed could see the fort was because his brother wasn't much of a hider in his armor. "C'mon!" he shouted. "This isn't a fair fight when you're hiding from me."

His eyes squinted, trying to see clearly in the snow. Then he felt something pulling on his jacket. "Don't hurt them, little brother," Nina begged. "They're our friends." His nostrils flustered at the insult, but he couldn't stay mad at Nina.

"You can be on my team," Ed looked down at her and grinned. "Don't worry, it's just a game." A moment later the girl nodded and smiled, then picked up a snowball and threw weakly it at the fort. _Now that the girl is on my side, they'll have no choice but to be gentle with their attacks._ _I've already won,_ he thought evilly.

Within five minutes, the other team was sent running across the yard from Ed's alchemically created snow cannon. Their fort held up for only three minutes. New Record for Ed! Al and Clair soon left separate paths; Clair went around one corner of the building, and Al went around the other...

* * *

**Clair's PoV**

Why did I throw a snowball at Ed? I wanted Ed to have fun, but this wasn't what I'd planned! I didn't want to get killed in the process! I leaped through the snow, almost slipping on the icy surface. I heard Ed's footsteps as he came closer me, stomping widely, ripping up the snow with his boots. I glanced back and saw that his jacket jutted out epically, blown dramatically by the wind like in a Hollywood movie, although I couldn't say the same about his height. As he strutted closer and closer toward me, my heart skipped a few beats, while my breath became tight. My lips started to become chapped from the wind, and I thought again, _Why did I have to throw a snowball at Ed?_

As the thoughts dashed across my mind, I thought of my home life. This was exactly like what happened with my brother, except he was always the one who hit me first. I usually just gave up within five minutes because I knew _he_ never would.

My hands stiffened in my gloves as I held them up to my face. I fell to my knees, suddenly feeling very much in danger, and begged for the Pure Stone to get me out of this havoc. If Ed could use alchemy to create snow weapons, why couldn't I? Impulsively, I pressed my shaking hands together and let them hit the white snow; millions of bright blue sparks appeared. Then, when they vanished, I slowly bent my head up to see a real-sized snow-horse...staring at me. _Wha... What?_ _How's this supposed to help me?!_

Unexpectedly, the horse opened its eyes and neighed at me. The eyes inside were a crystalline glowing light, kind of like Al's. I frowned, deciding this must be some kind of snow weapon, and randomly thought,_ As long as you don't act like that idiot squirrel everything will work out, okay? _The animated horse starting spazzing out uncontrollably. Okay, never mind that, just don't hit me! I fell back in the snow, gaping at the thing.

When Ed got there, he wasn't exactly my knight in shining armor. "What the hell is this?" he shouted."I told you not to perform alchemy!"

"I-I don't know!" my eyes flitted between him and the horse. Anyone who saw us or the horse probably thought we were crazy. Then I realized that Nina stood by Edward, moving closer to the horse... I yelped, "No! Don't touch it!"

Nina poked it in the leg before I could stop her; the horse rose up on its hind legs and whinnied, scaring the poor girl to death. "AH!" she screeched and ran behind Ed, crying, "Bad horsie, bad!"

Ed's golden eyes landed at me, more furious than a predator unable to capture its prey. "Get Nina outta here," he ordered. "and tell Al that I need him."

I nodded almost before he was done talking, grabbing Nina's purple gloved hand and yelling Alphonse's name as I ran back toward the house. Al came over; I paused by him. "No time to waste. Ed needs you. Go!" I shouted at him and led Nina inside. Tucker, who had apparently rushed to the door from the screaming, took his daughter out of my hands, smirking.

His grin looked almost evil, and he spoke to me in a desolate tone; it shimmered with a shadowed laugh behind his eyes. "Did you transmute that horse's soul into an empty shell?" My eyes darted around the room to avoid his. _What?_ I didn't say anything, so he hummed, "Hm, I thought so. I may need you to help me with my Chimera Project."

* * *

**Dun, dun, dunnnn... Is Tucker going to turn her into a Chimera? Or will the Pure Stone save her? Or will something else happen? If you know me at all, probably something completely different.  
**

**Nobody did that creative writing thing, so I've decided to do something else instead. Any ideas? Oh! If you have any ideas, any what-so-ever, tell me. Anything from throwing a brownie at Ed's head to, I don't know..., maybe an alchemist name. (Not for me, just in general.) I'm the Sapphire Alchemist, anyways! XP  
**

**Question of the Chapter: In general, do you like romance? If so, do like the kind of romance where two people kiss and slam against walls often, hehe, or the fluffy stuff, like going on a date and saving each others lives for each other? **

**Review! And please don't be that one person that has read everything up to here, but has never reviewed, favorited, or followed. I love talking to you guys and I'll always PM you right away or, if you don't have an account, I'll talk to you in the chapter. Anyways, love ya! *winks* Happy Thanksgiving and Black Friday! Soon Cyber Monday, too! **


	5. The Stone's Awakening

**Chapter 5: The Stone's Awakening**

* * *

**Clair's PoV**

Tucker set his daughter down , reaching out to wrap five fingers around my neck, squeezing it in a death grip while the his other hand covered my mouth so I couldn't scream. I tried, struggling; however weakened from the choke hold, it sounded like soft muffles in the darkness. Unattainable. Once he contained me, and I felt like passing out, he started dragging me down the hallway. I had no choice with the lack of oxygen but to be pulled along, whimpering in panic.

"Daddy, what are you doing?" Nina asked in a gentle tone, though with bewilderment hiding under her voice. She tentatively followed along as her father dragged my struggling body.

"Don't worry, my dear," Tucker assured his innocent, sparkle-eyed daughter. "Tell Edward and Alphonse that I'm taking Clair on a walk when they're done playing with their new toy outside, okay, sweetie?" Nina quickly nodded, but confused showed clearly in her shimmering eyes.

As Nina ran off, I was glad that Tucker cared for his daughter, but that didn't mean he could use me instead! So, once she was gone, I bit his wrist in the hopes that he would let go; but that just made him grip tighter, almost choking me to death. I stopped struggling so much.

He led me into his basement, which I found filled with deeming chimera eyes bothered by my presence, coming in reds, blues, and a dark yellows piecing through the dim lighting. I barely managed to gulp at the sight with the man's hands around my neck, and I heard hissing and barking sounds coming from the cages. The dampness made the dusky place smell of mold and ammonia.

"Welcome to my secret lab," Tucker introduced roughly. "I wanted to show it to you earlier, but you insisted on skipping the grand tour. It gave me time to get it ready, at least." I could sense his chilling grin widen without having to see his face.

He suddenly turned on a light switch, revealing dozens of barking, roaring and squawking chimeras. In the middle of the floor laid a transmutation circle. He locked the small wooden door behind him before forcing me to the ground, chaining my hands and feet to the floor where the transmutation lay. The chains were loose, but they did their job; I couldn't get free.

As he was getting ready - doing who knows what over there - I rolled around on the floor, hoping to find something useful, like a knife, in my pocket. Instead, I found the cookie that Al had given me earlier. I slumped back and sighed. _Really? I've died twice now and all I carry around is a cookie?! I'm so pathetic! ...Hm..._ Suddenly, I got an idea. I rolled myself into a position where my hands could meet and clap them, smirking as I thought, _Guess Tucker thought I needed a transmutation circle to perform alchemy. Guess again._ I rolled over the cookie without Tucker noticing me.

**_BOOM!_** The cookie exploded, bombarding the small, crowded room with smoke and...explosiveness. It filled with said smoke as the animals behind me went wild inside their cages. Some on top knocked themselves around and fell off the other cages. _If I can't do anything else, I'll blow stuff up._ I coughed through the smoke, trying to break the chains. I hoped they would be weakened, but even after the explosion they wouldn't budge.

When the dust had finally cleared, Tucker showed his face. He was standing over me with a deep grin. "I thought this might happen. So I stole these chains from a nearby prison. You're not going anywhere." He smirked, tightening the chains so I couldn't do that again. I cringed, puffing out my chest in irritation. Tucker placed Alexander beside me immediately afterwards.

"No!" I tried, coming up with a lie: "You can't do this! I-I'm God's helper. You can't do this!" _Well, am I really lying?_

"You're telling me that idiot actually exists?" he chuckled, obviously seeing this as a joke.

"I can prove it to you! Check my right shoulder!" I yelled.

He frowned, curious now, and leaned down to pull down my coat and some of my shirt - which was more than awkward - to see my tattoo. He scowled. "This doesn't prove anything; it's just some phony tattoo," he grumbled, and his dog barked at him. He actually seemed disappointed that it wasn't glowing or something.

"Fine! Make me a Chimera!" I screamed, mentally giving up. My voice dropped then, and I swallowed my pride. "At least I could save Nina."

"Nina?" Tucker half-gasped. He crouched next to my face. "What about my daughter? How did you 'save' her?" he asked frantically, a distracted look in his eyes.

"Well, if I wasn't here, Nina would be," I growled at the man. "You're that one son of a bitch that would do such a thing to their own daughter. How _could_ you?" I cried. _Did I just cuss? I guess now was a better time than any..._ "And don't say you wouldn't either, I know you!"

He laughed evilly at my claim with a suddenly crazed look upon his face. "Well, I guess I would if you weren't here. Alchemy is my life now, you see. I see no reason to give it up for a child, but if I use you, I can keep my own daughter _and_ this house. Such a win-win scenario, don't you think?" He chuckled.

"Go to hell," I breathed, my eyes lighting up with a full-hearted glare.

He patted my head, smiling. "Possibly, but for now I'm going to live to the fullest. Thank you for your sacrifice."

My heart started skipping beats, while my stomach started churning with anxiety as he walked toward the circle's rim. I wanted to say more, but my thoughts died when Alexander started licking my face, then laid calmly on my stomach, unaware of what was happening before his eyes. The poor thing...

When Tucker placed his hands on the circle, my senses went numb, and I passed out before I knew what was happening.

* * *

**Ed's PoV**

Clair's horse thing was getting on Ed's last nerve. It had charged at him in rage, knocking snow in his face. The snow grew to have an icy color and texture as it fell, stinging Edward's face with the cold. The alchemist tried to block the horse's attacks, but the animal wouldn't budge. Every time Ed launched spikes, they shattered into a million pieces. Although, the horse did seem to be slowly falling apart, too. Ed smirked as his younger brother came over to help. "Al, I think this thing is made from some kind of icy granite!" he shouted, dodging a kick.

"Ed!" Alphonse gasped. "How did Clair do this?"

"That's what I'd like to know," the older brother growled in aggravation as his alchemy caused a pillar of snow to come sprouting from the ground under the horse. The beast quickly dodged, neighing at his incursions. Every time Ed looked at the horse, he sensed something wrong with it - other than the fact it was alive. Almost like it was frightened, in terror and panic.

Suddenly, as he clapped his hands again, a sound like a rush of fire hit his eardrums - and he knew what that sounded like with the boss he had. When he turned toward the house, he saw a beam of white light shooting up from inside the house, cutting through the roof and into the sky. It reminded him of his own alchemically created pillars, only it was light.

This concerned Ed. "Where's Clair!" He voiced it as though it wasn't a question, screaming through the falling snowflakes. The horse stopped making noises to stare at the light in shock. Al did the same before turning to Ed in silent shock. Not getting an answer from Alphonse, Ed ran inside to find Clair.

"Wait, what about the horse?" Al pointed out as he followed his brother inside.

"Leave it," Ed snarled, wondering what the _hell_ that girl had gotten herself into. "We'll get it later, but for now it's not our priority." His voice echoed through the afternoon sky as he ran inside, shouting at Nina to tell him where Clair went. "_Where is she?_"

"I dunno," the little girl replied innocently. "Daddy took her on a walk." She spoke with a smile on her face as she kicked her feet under the kitchen table.

"Are you lying? This is a serious situation, Nina," Ed warned roughly, but the toddler just stared at Al for some reason. "Are you even _listening_ to me?!" Ed rose his fist angrily.

"Nina," Al began softly, holding up a warning hand, "your big brother and little brother need to know what happened to our friend. Where did your daddy take him?" Al asked in his nicest tone.

Nina laughed, "You're so much nicer than little brother."

Ed tried to hold his irritation, but he'd just been called _little.** "Who you calling small!?"**_ he screamed near-completely out of habit. The girl simply giggled, making Ed that much more annoyed. "Nina..." he said in his most threateningly dangerous tone.

The little girl got the message and held a finger to her lip thoughtfully. "Well, I'm not completely sure, but daddy hangs out in his lab a lot..." She spoke with her head bowed.

"Where's that?" the brothers questioned at once.

"In the basement, but daddy says it's danger-"

Ed dashed down the hall before she could finish. He easily found the stairs and rushed down, desperate; he felt, with not a little anxiety, that Clair was in serious danger, and that Tucker was to blame. The alchemist wiggled the knob on the locked door, while his brother started rushing down the stairs. Before Al made it to him, he used his alchemy to open the door, blowing it inwards without the finesse he was more capable of.

Inside was the obvious source of the light-beam: a large, round bundle of whiteness just...gathered there in a perfect cylinder. Strangely, it reminded Ed of the Gate's bleakness - which was a very unique thing, not something he would easily be reminded of. _Just another clue..._ he thought, wondering now if Clair really had been there...

Tucker sat in the corner with his legs squeezed against his chest. Blood fled from his skull and down his cheek to form a small puddle underneath him. His eyes widened, and Ed noticed how his lips kept twitching insanely, almost as though he wanted to smile...

Edward grabbed him by the collar and bellowed, "_What the hell did you do?!_"

Tucker's pupils dilated from behind his broken glasses. "I didn't do anything!" he insisted, but Ed saw otherwise underneath his terrified gaze: triumph.

"Liar!" Ed shouted, spit shooting out of his mouth and hitting the antagonist's face, but he didn't care. "What did you do!" Ed shouted again with desperation straining his voice. He slammed the man's neck against the wall, causing the sound to reverberate through the room. "Tell me!"

The fright in Tucker's pupils started to grow dim, showing the insanity in a clearer light. He laughed, "Wouldn't you like to know? I turned your little friend into a chimera for _science._ I just know she'll be a talking one!" He giggled, "Just what I need! And you know how that is, don't you, _alchemist?_ After all, your brother was done for science, wasn't he?" The man had clearly been driven mad.

Ed put pressure on the neck fretfully; his eyes screamed at Tucker. How _dare_ he compare himself to him? How _DARE_ he suggest Alphonse was... _How dare he talk about that!_ "I'm nothing like you!" he shouted, his voice going rough. "Al isn't some _experiment!_ I _saved_ my brother!" Thoughtlessly, he made a fist and punched Tucker in the jaw. He did it again. And again. Soon, the man's glasses fell on the ground, breaking what little there was left of the lens. Ed forced into every blow the built up anger from the passed few months - about Liore, about Clair, about this stupid Pure Stone and his goal: the _Philosopher's Stone_, and about not knowing _anything_ that he wanted to. He put it all into the anger he felt toward this man, and he didn't hold back.

Edward had no idea how long he was venting, but Al eventually grabbed his arm, using the strength his armored body allowed him to stop Ed's powerful automail. "Stop, brother! You're going to kill him!"

The man fell silently to the floor, blood spilling from his nose as he coughed up bits of the red substance from his throat. He looked pathetic.

"I'm sorry, Al," Ed murmured, leaving the body. He stood still for a moment, breathes coming in slow gasps, before he moved over to the beam of light shooting into the ceiling. He frowned and wondered, _Can I touch it?_, then reached out to poke it with his right hand. The light acted as a force field, throwing him violently against the open door in the reaction.

"Brother!"

"I'm fine, Al," Ed muttered, standing and gripping his head painfully. Then, he looked up and spotted a man by the door, looking as though he'd just arrived. He was very well-built, and the X-shaped scar across his face told Edward that he'd seen some serious battles, but Ed knew he could take him if he had to. "Who are you?"

The man stared blankly for a few moments, then spoke in a rough, growly voice. "Well, look at that, the Fullmetal Alchemist. I feel blessed; I get to hit two birds with one stone this night. As an answer to your question, many call me Scar. Now," he looked over at Tucker. "I'm going to make this easier on myself." He bowed his head and sighed. As he trudged forward, his hands underlining his pockets, he stepped toward Tucker. Ed wanted to stop him, but by this point he was more interested in what the mysterious guy was up to than what happened to Tucker. Swiftly, the scar-faced man pulled out one of his hands, clawing it, then placed it on Tucker's face, lifting him against the wall. "This is for your sins, alchemist. I'll give you a moment to pray to God."

There was a slight hesitation before alchemy sparks few from his head, flying in random direction across the room; Ed's expression turned into a glare full of anticipation, but he got this sick feeling in his gut at the same time. When the light faded, blood poured from the back of Tucker's skull. A deadness swallowed his whitened eyes when he began to fall to the ground.

Ed's heart sank, but he didn't speak. Instead, he stood up to this foe in his fighting stance, waiting to take him.

"Why did you do that?" Al screamed, his voice shaking in unadulterated horror. "He didn't do anything to you!"

"I don't need to explain myself to you, child," Scar growled in a low tone. Then he turned to Ed. "You, State Alchemist, have had plenty of time to pray." _What?_ Ed thought disapprovingly as the man spoke. "Now die!" 'Scar' launched his clawed hand at Ed; the boy dodged, swiping the man's leg from underneath him. Scar quickly regained balance. Al came into the fight, trying to kick Scar in the head, but he failed to land his hit.

Ed noticed something in the background as they fought; the light coming from where he'd already guessed Clair was (Though why a chimera transmutation would do _that_ was beyond him) was starting to fade, dying until her body appeared without any deformations. _I thought she was turned into a Chimera?_ Ed thought confusedly - but with relief. His eyes trailed away from his foe thoughtfully, and Scar took the advantage, swiping Ed's legs out from under him. Ed immediately regained his focus with Scar, but his mind still wandered...

Ed's eyes flickered as he heard the sounds of footsteps tromping around upstairs, probably MPs wondering what the hell was happening. Hearing this, and before Ed could round-house kick him, Scar leapt away from him and ran upstairs. Soon after, Edward heard breaking glass.

A moment passed. Ed struggled to his feet, muttering, "I don't know what that crazy bastard was doing here, but I'm glad he's gone."

"Brother!" Al shouted to get his attention. Ed looked over and saw that he had Clair's head lying in his lap. "I think she's waking up!"

Ed ran over, for once hoping that damn Pure Stone had done something. Clair's coat and shirt were filled with holes the size of golf balls, and her eyes didn't flicker open like how Ed thought they would; instead, they shot open, showing a different color than normal: They were a bright white. But a moment later, they changed back to their usual coloring. _Here's strike number two, not including the other strikes... Wait, when did I start counting strikes?_

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Shhh!" she shushed for some reason, tensed, then moaned. "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

Al leaned forward at her screaming. "Make what stop?" She laid motionless as though she couldn't hear him. "Clair, we want to help!" Still no answer.

Ed turned then at the sound of more footsteps to find Colonel Bastard and his usual crew running down the stairs, wanting to know what happened. "Fullmetal, explain this," Mustang growled. "Everyone in the city saw that beam."

Ed sighed, got to his feet, turned to the Colonel, then jabbed a thumb at Tucker's bleeding body. "I would have that bastard over there explain this, but someone with an X-shaped scar on his face came in and killed him. Before that, Tucker tried to turn Clair into a chimera for his selfish gain." Ed spat out the word 'selfish.'

"Tried?" Mustang murmured, and Ed could see it in his eyes that the man had just become even more suspicious of Clair just like him.

"Sir," Hawkeye stepped forward slightly, "shouldn't we take the girl to the hospital?"

The Colonel nodded. "Yes, the doctors can take care of her for now. Go use a phone upstairs; I'm sure Tucker has one," he commanded, then turned his expressionless face to Edward. "/You/ will explain this to me in my office. I only hope that bastard didn't cause Clair any lasting damage."

"_Shut up! Shut up!_" she repeated over and over again as she laid in her hospital bed. Within two days, her voice began to die, and sweat practically drained from her face. The doctor said she was going insane - hallucinating, talking to herself - but Ed and Al refused to believe it, trying their best to take care of the situation.

Ed explained everything to Mustang about what was happening to Clair, even telling him about the Pure Stone, the horse, and well...everything he knew about her. Somehow he thought the Colonel could help them somehow - that was just how desperate he was - but Mustang couldn't do anything.

It was only a few hours after the event that the Fuhrer came to pick up the ice horse. Ed wasn't sure what he did with it, probably killed it by dicing it into little pieces - either that or it melted - but he couldn't seem to get a hold of the classified information that stayed hidden from the public.

Nina was taken to an orphanage for lost children. The poor girl was asking what happened to her father the whole time.

"Do you think Clair will be okay?" Al asked quietly, his armor reverberating with a frightened sadness.

"I don't know..." Ed replied honestly. He clapped his hands and touched her jacket, repairing it instantly, then held it up. "At least I could fix one thing."

* * *

**Clair's PoV**

A million voices traveled through my head, bickering uncontrollably. One said something, another contradicted it, I shouted at them to stop, then I was screamed at by a hundred more.

The _only_ thing I could guess was that the Pure Stone was filled with souls, just like the Philosopher's Stone, and, somehow, during Tucker's transmutation, the stone released them in my head. Otherwise, I was just going insane, but for some reason I doubted that. _Why does this happen to me of all people?_

'Because you're an idiot,' one of the voices assured, which started another feud between them. I swear every ten minutes I heard a new voice join in with the fighting.

I thought a serious tone, _If you guys don't shut up, I'm going to end up killing myself._

'Good luck, sweetie. With that stone, I don't think you can,' a woman chuckled.

_Just shut up, okay? How 'bout this: I _will_ get some peace and quiet even if it _kills_ me!_ I thought, my tone filling with aggravation. I wanted to ignore them, but it was a bit more difficult than just sitting on a bus seat and tuning them out with headphones. No. They bombarded me with questions I couldn't answer; they drove me to the point of thinking about jumping off a bridge. And guess what? They bickered about that, too.

"Do you think Clair will be okay?" I heard Al's voice say. _Yes! Someone from the outside world._ I had watched them put me in the hospital, but I couldn't speak because of the voices digging at my consciousness. I felt as though my brain overloaded, forcing my nerves to shut down so I couldn't move. But now, things became a bit clearer.

"I don't know..." Ed answered from somewhere in the room. I heard some alchemic sparks, but I couldn't see what it was. Then he murmured something to himself, but, again, I couldn't tell what it was.

"I'm fine," I coughed, struggling to focus on the real world; it was getting steadily easier. The brothers both perked their heads up, apparently happy to see me speak. "Some water would be nice." My voice sounded rough, making it obvious that I needed it.

Al stepped forward a moment or so later and handed me a bottle of water; I sat up to take a few slips. My back popped in a couple of places. _Guys, look, give me one hour, please? No comments from all 100 some of you._

'There's 414 of us,' corrected a nerd.

"**_What!_**" I shouted without meaning to, water pouring out of my mouth and onto the bed. _Just calm down..._ I breathed in and out deeply. _Okay, now you guys, 414 of you, keep your comments to yourself, please._

"What's wrong, Clair?" Al questioned, his voice panicked.

I sighed. "Oh, nothing, just talking to the 414 souls trapped inside the Pure Stone invading my unconscious. It's all good," I assured them and shook my head, half-smirking.

"_What?_" Ed shouted, eyes widening. "What the h-hell...how-what do you _mean_?" His expression was almost comical right then; apparently, I'd shocked him pretty bad. Hehe.

"Well, the stone's energy comes from somewhere, right?" I shrugged. "It just happens it's 414 souls...so, yeah. When Tucker did human transmutation on me, it must've unlock that part of the Pure Stone. I've finally got them to stop fighting for a good hour. Hopefully." I sighed, breathing in deeply again. "So...how long has it been?"

"You've been out for two days..." Al answered hesitantly.

"Wow, it really has been forever." I rubbed my tired eyes. "Not being able to see for forty-eight hours isn't the best thing for your health..."

"So..." Ed started, but never finished, still confused.

"I know, I know. This is a lot to take in, not just for me, but please, bear with me on this." I gave him a half-smile.

"So...other than..._that_, you're fine?" Al questioned.

"Yeah! I'm fine. Wait, I didn't miss the exam, did I?"

Ed frowned. "You're still going to take that thing?"

"Of course! Do you want me to get kick out of the country?" I reasoned, giving him a 'uh, duh' look.

Ed crossed his arms in his seat. "Your test is in five days."

"Good, guess it's time for me to study." I smiled, though Ed didn't seem very thrilled. Maybe I shouldn't blurt stuff out like that, but how else could I have told them? Nice and slow? Either way, Ed was gonna get pissed at me because he was just like that. Stubborn boy.

* * *

**Al's PoV**

It took an hour of talking for Al to understand what Clair meant by '414 souls'. Every once and a while, she'd shout something like "SHUT IT!" or "I TOLD YOU ONE HOUR!" at seemingly random times, but after a while it quieted down completely. He was glad for that; it creeped him out a bit...

The doctor came to talk to them a while later. He wore a white coat, had hazel eyes, brown hair, and a scruffy beard to match. "She's seems perfectly normal now," the doctor announced nicely as he shut the door behind him. "Her head is fine..." he turned the page on his check-board, "Her heart is beating normally. If you're lucky, she'll able to go home tonight..."

"Really? That's awesome!" Al stood up excitedly. The doctor nodded.

"Can I leave now?" Clair asked anxiously.

"Well, everything seems to check out, so I don't know. Why not?" he replied, hesitating at first, but then he smiled. "I'll get the paper work for you to sign." After that, he left the room and shut the door behind him.

"Where are you guys staying now, anyways?" Clair asked them.

"We're staying at some crappy hotel that bastard Colonel told us to stay at," Ed answered, leaning back in his chair, pausing to stretch and yawn. "Can't wait to get back though; I've been here for way too long."

"How long _have_ you've stayed with me?"

Ed sighed, seemingly exasperated. "Well, during the first night, Al insisted we watch you as your '_bodyguards_', so we stayed all night. We went out yesterday when you hadn't spoken in a few hours to find the hotel and food."

"Wow, you stayed with me all that time? I'm flattered." She smiled, and Al wanted to smile back to her. Clair's optimistic personality was quite enriching sometimes.

The doctor came in a minute later with the paperwork in his hands. Clair signed a few papers before stretching herself and getting out of bed, then, after Clair grabbed her coat and nearly empty water bottle from earlier, they headed to the hotel.

On the way there, Al could hear Clair muttering to herself: "What did I say about fighting? Calm down, now!" She stood a few steps from them as she spoke, probably thinking they couldn't hear her.

Al turned to Ed. "Brother, do you think she'll be talking to herself a lot now?"

"I know I would..." Ed murmured, snorting, "It's still _crazy._"

"I know." Al bowed his armor. _Clair's such a nice person, so innocent. Why did this happen to her? She trusted us even before she knew who we were..._

When they arrived at their room, Clair's jaw dropped. "It's so...big! I would ask you how can you afford this, but do I need to, Fullmetal Alchemist?" she smirked, knocking her elbow at Ed's arm in a friendly way. Al noticed how his brother took great pride in her comment. He watched as Clair sped off through the house. "You have your own kitchen, dining room, living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom all in one! It's like your own little house, only better."

"Well, we're not staying very long," Ed shrugged. "Just until you can take the exam."

"Fine by me, but for now I'm taking a shower!" She hurried off down the left hall, only to turn around and run the other way once she realized where the shower was.

Later that night, Al came into Clair's room, wanting to ask her some questions. The room was outstandingly clean and tidy. Mustang sure knew how to pick a great hotel. Clair's bedroom consisted of a walk-in closet, a twin-sized bed, and a nightstand with a lamp lighting the area. Al stepped in. "Clair..?"

"Hm?" she hummed, rolling over to see him; there were tired bags under her eyes.

"What do the voices say to you?"

"Um...well," Clair started, pushing herself up slightly. "just about everything. Now they're bickering about...I don't even know anymore. They argued when I was in the shower so much, I almost didn't take one. I'm trying to ignore them, but it's not easy." She yawned.

"...It's been so strange finding you," Al murmured, thinking about how not long ago their only real objective was finding the Philosopher's Stone - then here's the _Pure Stone_, and a strange girl to come with it. He sat beside her night stand, his hand poking above it. "Here we've searching for a Philosopher's Stone our entire lives, and you're basically like one. You couldn't happen to change our bodies back to normal, could you?" he asked, totally forgetting that she didn't know about that.

Clair laughed, "I wish I could, but..." She shrugged. "I promise you'll get your body back sooner or later." Al wanted to smile at her comment, but he stayed quiet, trying to think of another good question. "Well, good night, armored friend," she murmured tiredly, cutting off all thoughts on the matter, then turned out the light, rolling back towards the wall.

That was when Alphonse realized something. "Wait, how did you know?"

"Hm?" She flipped back around. "Know what?"

"How did you know that I didn't have a body?" Al tilted his head up, which made a quiet /clank/, to look directly at Clair's sparkling eyes.

The girl's eyes widened. "Uh...um... I just know these kinds of things. Good night!" She hastily turned, almost like she was hiding something...

Al bowed his head and spoke in a warning tone. "Clair. You shouldn't keep secrets from us."

She sighed, then turned her head back again. "I'm sorry, I knew because I peeked inside your armor once when you had your chin turned up at the sky. I saw that you were hollow inside. It scared me, but I guess I'm fine to talk about it now."

"Oh." Al sensed she was hiding something deeper than that, but he decided to just accept it. "I'm glad it doesn't disturb you."

"Nah, I have a stone that gives me voices in my head. I'm surprised you don't think I'm crazy. Equivalent Exchange really does work, huh?" Clair giggled. "Hey, do you think you can keep me company all night? Because I don't think these voices are going to let me sleep." She paused before yelling, "Stop arguing already!"

"Yeah, sure," Al replied, unsure of how to respond besides agreeing. She turned on the light.

"Awesome!" she exclaimed happily.

"Clair, how did you make that horse?" Al asked abruptly; he couldn't hold off asking it any longer.

Clair hesitated for a long time before answering. "According to the voices, a few of them say I stole one of them and stuck his soul inside the horse. That's why they were screaming at me earlier...no wonder..."

"Oh," Al deadpanned; he didn't know how else to react, "that's...a little insane."

"Yeah, you're telling me," Clair grumbled and rolled her eyes - but she was obviously bothered by it.

Al felt like he was frowning internally as he spoke next, "Do you know how you did it?" She just shrugged. He made a little sighing noise. "We need to learn more about this Pure Stone." She nodded quickly in agreement.

"So what does Ed think about this?"

Al cocked his helmet questioningly. "About what?"

"About...everything."

"Oh." Alphonse paused, thinking, for a moment before answering. "He's inconclusive. He's very suspicious of you."

"Yeah, I noticed that much," she smirked. "Like, does he ever tell you that he doesn't trust me? I feel like he doesn't."

"I noticed that too, but no, he's never talked about it. You know how brother is," Al responded.

There was silence for a moment, then Al detected something in the corner of the room. Turning his head, he was shocked to find that it was a girl! She looked a bit like Clair - about same age, too, maybe a year older or younger - only...different, and with bright, emerald eyes. She had blonde hair and a sweet, apparently random smile spread across her face. She wore a white dress with lace outlining the bottom. Al turned back to Clair. "Hey, uh... Do you see that girl in the corner?"

She looked over and shook her head, giving him a weird look. "I don't see anything. Maybe you're imagining things."

The girl in the corner of the room gasped, her voice coming out squeaky and high-pitched. "You can see me? Oh, thank _God!_"

"Why shouldn't I be able see you?" Al questioned, not really sure what she meant.

The girl leaned against the wall, which was useless since her shoulder just faded through. "I'm a ghost. Or a desolate soul. Or dead person. Whatever you wanna call me."

"Al, is someone actually there?" Clair sat up and looked over at where the girl stood, then she scowled. "Again, shut up, voices, or I will- Wait, you guys can see her? Why can't _I?_" She screamed outright, talking to her voices again. Al liked it better when she didn't...

Al didn't know what to say to that, so he started talking to the random 'ghost' instead. "What's your name? I'm Alphonse Elric."

"I'm Yuki Tenshi." She giggled and made a peace sign with her fingers, smiling.

"Nice to meet you! So why are you here?"

"Um...I'm not quite sure how I got here," Yuki replied, frowning. "I just randomly woke up as a ghost in Amestris..." she trailed off, then shrugged. "Guess I have some amnesia issues, but I'm really surprised Clair is here. I'm really, _really_ glad."

"You know her?"

"Yeah, she's my best friend! Her name's Clair Aragon, she plays the flute, her favorite color is yellow, and she loves Pokemon," Yuki listed off randomly, her face focused as though she were having trouble remembering.

"Pokemon?"

"Okay, never mind that..."

Clair's eyes popped out and she leaned forward. "Wait, wait, wait, I heard Pokemon. Al who is this?" She looked at where Yuki was, murmuring, "I know her. I just have to know her," under her breath excitedly.

Yuki stayed quiet while Al explained everything to Clair. Al had to repeat himself a few times because of the voices making it hard for Clair to hear, but once everything was clear, her eyes widened with happiness. "I can't believe it!" she shouted, practically giddy with glee.

Al spent the rest of the night playing messenger between Yuki and Clair; it was a bit tiring, but he didn't mind much. He was glad to see to cheerful faces. As it turned out, Yuki had been looking for them for weeks, but since she passed through every mode of transportation there was when it started moving, it took longer than what she expected.

* * *

**Clair's PoV**

The next few days passed by quickly. Al told Ed about Yuki, I worked on my alchemy - since Ed didn't carry a library with him like we had at Tucker's - and Yuki stayed on the sidelines thinking of ideas for me to use when I was tested. A day before the exam, we rode a train to Central. I ignored the screaming souls the best I could. It was like being in a cafeteria, only I was afraid to talk to anyone in the fear that they'd scream at me and everyone would gain up in a bullying riot.

Then, finally, the day came. I felt as though my entire life was being pushed in this test, even if I'd been studying for only one small month. Somehow, I felt that I deserved to pass because of all the hell I'd had to go through since I'd gotten to Amestris.

"You ready?" Al looked down at me, a smile in his voice.

"Yes! I'm as ready as I'll ever be!" The voices in the back of my head didn't agree, but I didn't care. "So, Yuki _is_ coming with me, right?"

Many of the voices kept saying, 'Of course, stupid,' and 'Duh.'

'I don't even know why you're taking this test. I hate dogs of the military.' _Hush._

"Yeah, she'll be with you all the way," was the better answer from my armored friend.

"Let's just get this over with." Ed's attitude came off as highly annoyed when he spoke.

"Good luck!" Al offered brightly, giving me a thumbs up.

I smiled at him, then headed into the Central Headquarters. At first, I couldn't find the room where they tested, but eventually someone saw me walking into random rooms and was nice enough to guide me where I needed to go. A woman with nice glasses and brunette hair led me into a ginormous room with hundreds of participants; she seemed shocked by the fact that someone so young was taking the test - again - as she left.

When I sat down in one of the comfy chairs, another women came around handing out pencils and a piece of paper each. When I started glancing around the room, I noticed everyone had a different test. _Is mine easier or harder than everyone else's? Knowing Wrath, he'd want to test me._

The women stood on a pedestal beside a large countdown timer. I started to get butterflies in my stomach after looking at all the older men and women taking the test. Only one or two of us would get in, right? Gulp. "You'll have two hundred and forty minutes, or four hours, to complete the test," the woman announced. "If, by the end of this time, you have passed, you may test your abilities with the Fuhrer. You may begin!"

* * *

**Awesomeness right there. If you see or know my beta a Mysterious Illusion, you should thank her. :D **

**Question of the Chapter: What is favorite Pokemon? Random, I know. Mine is Manectric! **

**You know, I've never answered any of these questions, so I will for my other ones. **

**Favorite song: ...There's too many to chose from! I like The Fray, 30 Seconds to Mars, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Nickleback, Black Veil Brides, My Chemical Romance, Shinedown, Offspring, Green Day, Seether, Matchbox Twenty, Imagine Dragons, Daughtry...etc? I think I named most of them. It's hard to pick just one out of all of those...**

**Favorite Fanfics (Some I haven't gotten time to read all the way through, though): The Glitch Switch, The Blood Alchemist, The Game Has Just Begun, The Angel Test, FMA- This World What the Heck, The Ultimate Punishment, Fullmetal Adventure, Just a Game, Soul Partners, Apple Pie, When Life Gives you Lemons, Shades of Grey: In Truth, None of it was Fiction, Just One of Those Days, Hello! This your Conscience Speaking!, 500 Ed's Short Rants (C'mon, who wouldn't? XP)...etc. If I forgot to name your story, I'm sorry, but those are _some_ of the good ones I've read. **

**Romances Fluffy or not-so-fluffy: *Shrugs* Either or, but in writing I like Fluffy better. (Strangely that made me think of a kid nickname Fluffy for weighting over 1000 pounds, I swear.) In movies and TV, to be honest sexy stuff so much better - just not too old. *gags thinking about it***

**Okay, well I'm ending off here. Remember to tell me your favorite Pokemon of read of the fanfics above, which they're pretty good. This is what I found in a year (and that's not all of them), so just imagine how many I'll read in the following year! Hopefully one of them will be yours someday! :)  
**

**Remember, thanks for watching! ~ Vsauce**

**Uploaded: 12/3/13**

**Words: Roughly 7,000; 6,946 exactly: 23 pages. **


	6. The Sapphire Alchemist

**Alchemy:** the science of understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. However, it is not an all-powerful art; it is impossible to create something out of nothing. If one wishes to obtain something, something of equal value must be given. This is the Law of Equivalent Exchange, the basis of all alchemy. In accordance with this law, there is a taboo among alchemists: human transmutation is strictly forbidden - for what could equal the value of a human soul...?

Sorry, I just had to! It's so nostalgic!

**Important:**

_Italics - whoever's thoughts depending on PoV_

'Apostrophes - souls talking.'

(Parenthesis - the PoV's random comments.)

**Bold - Do I really used bold besides Ed's short rants sometimes?**

So now you know what each means just in case you haven't guessed already. I'm putting this here to help you. (Or trying to anyways... Some people were confused.)

On with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Sapphire Alchemist**

* * *

**Clair's PoV**

When I flipped the test to the front, the pages were filled with equations and scientific reasonings. The butterflies in my gut made me stare at the page for a good three minutes before starting. First, I looked through 256 problems that covered sixteen pages - which wasn't _too_ shabby...but how could finish 256 problems in four hours!? That was less than a problem a minute!

I swear, some of the souls were in LaLa Land, because they sang 'Lalalala' off key just to annoy me. I didn't even bother telling them off. It was like a besetting army surrounding me, while I, the lonesome person, sat curled in a clinch.

Within the first hour, I was able to answer forty-two questions randomly throughout the text, not completely sure if they were 100% correct. The other...214 odd questions were a different story. Most of the exam had symbols and words unable to make sense in my 21st century mind. I mean, what the heck did '∝' or '∯' mean? Looking at them gave me headache, if the stupid souls bugging me wasn't enough. The hauteur LaLa Land souls denied to pause, even for a second; although, I never told them to stop, thinking I'd make them _further _out of tune...

_Hey, nerd dude, could you help me with a few of these?_ I whispered to my souls. Somehow I felt like a queen without any power... The singing 'choir' paused when they heard me.

'I find it very ignorant that you call me a _dude._ I'm more than just some man. I circumspect more than you,' his voice echoed in a deliberate tone.

_So I'm a naive child that doesn't know what she's doin__g, right?_ I told him, rolling my eyes, while I listened to the whispering background noise. I ignored them for so long, I could barely hear them bursting over me. Awesome.

'Yes. You're smarter than I thought.'

_I come from a hundred years in the future! I'm not an idiot. Though, I could name a few in my classes..._ I trailed, thinking of my high school. Everyone running through the halls. People kissing at every corner for pleasure. Teachers yelling at students to take off their hats. People scream at teachers not to do their work or how everyone jumped for joy when there was a substitute. Only the dull, light brown walls stayed the same, always dusty and filled with cobwebs. (I think they were white at one point...)

'Is that your school?' he asked kindly.

_You can see my thoughts?_ I wondered. Then, realized I hadn't answered a question in the passed ten minutes, but, when I dazed at the paper with a small migraine, my mind began to trail into blankness. It was inevitable; I was going to fail...

'Yes, I can. In fact, we all can.'

_That's nice,_ I thought sarcastically. _So do you think you can assist me in this debacle?_

'Why should he help you, girl?' yelled a man from the foreground with a deep voice, like he was about to beat me. Fortunately, equivalent exchanged worked; I couldn't see their faces, and they couldn't see my stressed face that wanted to cry.

The nerd contently stayed quiet, probably contemplating on what he wanted. I sighed, unsure of what to preach to the man. Sooner rather than later, I gave a speech to anyone that listened, _We're only human. I'm trying to live. Trying to survive! There's a million things I deal with on a daily basis, not including you guys. I come from small farm out in the middle of nowhere, and here I am taking an alchemy exam to keep breathing. If I don't pass this test, who knows what could happen to me. The homunucli could kill me over and over again until all of you are destroyed, then they'd kill me in the process._ I ran my fingers my hair, my eyes popping at the thoughts slowly consuming my head. I imagined blood spilling from my hair, agony prying deep into my throat, and searing tears wiping across my face unable to speak...

The noise dropped to a dull roar of grasps and moans coming across the crowd. One of them screamed: 'Anarchy!'

'Shut up, dude,' came a bittersweet voice, sounding a resemblance to Greed. 'Heh, that's the girl's thoughts. She doesn't know what will really happen to us, do ya?'

"Right...you can see my thoughts..." I muttered quietly enough for nobody to hear me. "Look, I don't know what would happen, but..." I thought about each homunculi dying, them grasping and screaming in agony while they turned into ash, their stones flooding into the wispy wind against a slab of rumble. Lust, Envy, Wrath, Greed, Gluttony, and Sloth all died roughly the same way, besides Pride who managed to survive the chaos.

'Stop! Please stop!' a whiny voice fell from the nerd.

_So you'll help me now, right?_ I blackmailed him.

'Yes, of course!'

I heard a girl complaining, 'Hey, I think we're in agreement on this one. The nerd can help you, but you must do something special for each of us.' I heard a unified nod between the souls.

_Something...special?_ My eyes squinted, thinking what I could do to please 414 souls.

'Yeah! Every person gets one wish you must fulfill!' shouted a child squealing with anticipation, like he was high on candy... That was my cue to leave because I hated children...if...I could...

_But a genie only grants three wishes!_ I argued.

'You naive girl. If you were a genie, you would have to grant three wishes for each of us. But if you want to grant...1,242 wishes, be my guess. We're doing you a favor, hot cakes,' bickered the man who had Greed's voice. He even acted like Greed, how covenant.

_What did you just call me?!_ I jerked, my mouth slightly ajar.

'Any girl deserves a good name, don't you think?' the man chuckled. Sometimes Equivalent Exchange sucked. I wish he could see my dead-to-the-world glare striking him directly between the eyes.

* * *

_Bing!_

_Bing!_

_Bing!_

The bell on the timer rang. The crowd lied their pencils on the table and fell back in their seats. Some sighed with worry, while others were picking their teeth with ease. But me: I kept working until they picked up my test, which wasn't long after the ring.

I manged to answer 200 questions with my buddy's assistance. Hopefully it was enough.

The superintendent watching us race through the questions came to me, saying, "Ma'am, the Fuehrer would like to see you first."

"Uh...okay," I answered, not completely sure how to reply. The superintendent moved me to another room across the hall. I gawked at the maleficence inside the two-story room. It was the same design in the show, same balcony showing the second floor with a twenty-foot ceiling, yet...it wasn't the same. I felt so short.

I noticed someone hiding in the shadows on the second story: Mustang.

When I looked at the Fuehrer in the eyes, the souls inside me went crazy. _Explains why I attacked him when I first saw him._

'Kill him, kill him, kill him!' They chanted.

_Why do you hate him so much?_

The man with Greed's voice stood from the crowd, 'He's a homunculi. How could you not hate him?'

_Um...not all homunucli are evil,_ I told them, thinking of Greed.

'Says you.'

If anything, I knew the souls were hiding something from me... Not only did they hate him, but I still felt a dying bitterness to kill the Fuehrer. I needed to figure out what their secret was before they contradicted my emotions in the future into their puppet.

After that, I ignored them to the point I altered their chant into a 30 Seconds to Mars song: The Kill, which was merely a dramatic love song.

The Fuehrer stared at me with his eyes closed. A few guards surrounded me, four I presumed. "Ah, Clair, nice to see you again. Let's see what you've learned from the brothers, shall we?" he said as he took a slip of tea.

"Do you need something to write with, ma'am?" asked one of the gentleman beside me.

The Fuehrer answered for me, "She won't need one."

I readied myself, breathing in and out calmly and closing my eyes; I dreamed everything would turn as _I_ wanted. With adrenaline, I lined my finger pads, heat straining on them from my breath. Unlike any other time, a sudden pulse rattled through my body, a surge of compelling alchemy. I rapidly placed my hands on the ground to release the alchemy I stored. Sparks unleashed into the air, hitting both the ceiling and the balcony. I took a step back, then fell to my knees. The flash drained me until I was breathing heavier than I ever had. More than dying in the heat or walking fifteen miles in a day; I felt as though I died.

Something had gone wrong. Like with my fright with the horse, a running trail of terror ran through my spine. What did I do?

I perfected a mood changing dragon decoration in the passed week, but maybe the angered souls triggered...something in my alchemy. My eyes stayed widened until the light faded. Then I smiled, realizing everything worked. An emerald dragon, with it wings snuggled against its body and a tail wrapped around its legs, emerged from the light. It had two numbed horns for ears and two folded fins on its tail. Green meant many things: agitated, nervousness, anxious, and tension...but why was it reacting when nothing touched it?

'Enough screaming already! Jesus Christ, I need an aspirin.' I heard a voice I recognized... Then it hit with me like a ton of bricks.

"Yuki!" I screaming, being aware everyone in the outside world could hear me, but I honestly didn't care. Suddenly, what I thought was solid stone, opened its eyes. The dragon had the same eyes as the horse did: soulful and radiant. It yawned, showing its sharp fangs without a tongue.

Yuki started again with displeasure hiding in her voice, 'I'm a flipping dragon! Clair! What did you do to me! And don't blame it on the stone!'

"But it's the truth!" I screamed, glaring at the dragon. When it yawned again, its wings unleashed themselves. They were twice the length of the body - which was six inches, give or take - when they flew into the air like angel feathers; but, they weren't feathers. They resembled bat wings with a small spike where the hands would be.

The Fuehrer clapped at my disaster. "Well done, young alchemist." He examined the dragon by putting it in his hands. Yuki squirmed to free herself, but couldn't escape Bradly's grasp. The MPs gawked at my creation with their eyes appealed. "I've never seen a soul transmuted into an object before. Quite clever!"

'Clair! Tell him to put me down now!' she yelled at me.

"Okay, okay. Put my pet down, Fuehrer. She doesn't wanna be held," I told him with a smirk.

'I'm not your pet!'

He put Yuki on the ground. She ran over to me chasing her tail like a crazy person...or dragon. When she roared a squeal, it was adorable. It was like a baby lizard crying to get out of its shell. This was the first time I wanted to hug Yuki without being forced by her glomping habit. 'Dammit! I sound like a roaring chipmunk!' The dragon changed colors to a reddish color; Yuki noticed.

_At least the mood thing works..._ I thought, being aware Yuki could hear me.

"Can she speak?" Bradly asked.

"Of course I can speak! All these voices tell me not to, but I say screw it," she fumbled. Everyone's mouths drop besides mine. I stood there nodding to myself with a half-smile, darting my eyes between her and Fuehrer and slowly waiting to see what he would do with her.

I noticed Yuki could hear all the voices inside my head because my alchemy was what kept her on this plane. Something horrible had gone wrong, but at least this time I figured out what was the cause of it. Technically, now she was another soul in my head to make 415. But it still made me wonder... Why didn't the horse speak? Was it because my stone hadn't 'awakened' yet?

The Fuehrer smiled and opened his eye for once with amazement baffling inside it.

* * *

**Ed's PoV**

"Do you think Clair is doing okay in there?" Al asked.

Ed answered quickly, "I'm sure she's fine. The Fuehrer probably took it easy on her, anyways."

"Why would he do that?"

Ed shrugged as a reply as he sat on the marble steps into Central Command. Al lowered his head, "Brother, is there something you're not telling me?"

A flashback between him and the colonel came across his mind a few weeks prior.

* * *

"Fullmetal, do you know why Clair is taking this exam?" the bastard asked kindly to Ed with his elbows against the table.

"She says they'll kick her out of the country if she doesn't pass," Ed answered with his arms-crossed, feeling agitated by the question.

Mustang let his hands side off the table while he leaned in his chair emotionless, "You know we've both been to hell and back, Fullmetal, but this girl hasn't. There's more to come after the Tucker case. That was her beginning."

"That case has nothing to deal with this!" he yelled to clarify his first judgement, but soon he realized it had everything to do with it. "Clair becoming a state alchemist is her choice and there's nothing I can do about it." Ed bowed his head at the irritating situation at hand, but kept his eyes darted at the bastard. "Me and Al will handed this. The Fuehrer made her our responsibility. Sure, she may become an alchemist like you and me, but I know it'll get me one step closer to figure out what she's hiding." He smirked at him, perking his head. "I remember someone telling me it's better to move forward than stay stuck in concrete, even if it's through a river of mud. Maybe it's her desire and destiny to go into the mouth of the unknown. That's her choice."

Mustang gave a level-headed sigh, almost agreeing with him, "Just remember, Fullmetal, that Clair hasn't been through hell yet. Try to protect her from that. She's too innocent with too much potential to waste on the battlefield."

His head and eyes turned sightly and a puff came from him. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, then left the room.

* * *

When Ed remembered to that scene, he wondered if it was best if she didn't pass the exam. She could leave this country and maybe have a shot at a normal life. Then, he thought about the Pure Stone. Could she have a normal life with that _thing?_

"Ed, did you hear me?" Al asked to snap Ed out of his daze.

"Oh, yeah. I heard you," he scratched the back of his head. "It's nothing, Al. I was just thinking. Don't worry about it."

Al dazed at him with some worry hidden on his armor, but he left his brother alone about. "I hope she passes." Ed could see the smile in his brother's voice, but he didn't hope for the same fate.

* * *

**Yuki's PoV (First Person)**

My body was a flipping dragon. I was glad I could speak now, but a dragon? Really Clair, really? On top of that, all the souls in her head were now screaming at the both us. I tried my best to calm them, but it was too much for me. It was like two werewolves fighting and someone stepped in-between them telling them to hold their horses. Would they listen?

"Hm... I think your assessment went well, young alchemist. Your test results will be completed in a week," Bradly praised as he left with two guards. He waved good-bye as Clair picked me off the ground.

I made a circle following my tail before looking at her with curiosity in my fins. I couldn't feel my scales, but they didn't have a jagged edge. Instead, they were as smooth as a filled gemstone. I looked at her abnormal eyes after I sat in her palms, my tail wrapping around me, "You're crazy, you know that?" She smiled with a laugh.

"C'mon, adorable pet. I just have to show Ed and Al what happened to you," she gave an evil smirk.

"Hey! T-t-t-this! Grr! I'm not your pet!"

"I never realized how fun it was to mess with people until now," she giggled, then rolled her eyes. "Psst, this is nothing compared to how much you've picked on me through the last two years we've been friends."

"Yeah, turning me into a six-inch dragon is payment for that," I almost screamed at her. But Instead of playing attention to me, she looked at the balcony. "Are you even paying attention?"

"Hm, seems Mustang's gone. If anyone, he probably liked my show."

"Huh? Mustang was here!" I screeched. She nodded, then headed outside with me in the palm of her hands. I buried myself deep in her hands to keep balance from falling on the floor. I knew having a six-inch body wasn't the greatest, but that didn't mean I was going to break it either.

When we arrived outside, the world looked so...big...compared to how it was before. The sun perched high in the sky at midday while the trees swayed in the breeze. I refused the urged to look at the ground, afraid it would scare me into a dizzy spell. It was...peaceful. "Ed! Al!" Clair screamed, running toward the stairs. I closed my eyes before they came to us and wrapped my tail around my body, acting like the decoration I was intended. _This'll get her back for sure._

'I wish I had some popcorn. Anyone else feel the same?' snickered one of the voices.

_You really had to go there, don't you?_ I shook my head.

I heard the shorty's footsteps, but strangely Al's echoing hollow footsteps weren't with him. "You're an idiot, Clair," Ed stated. I felt her head bow melancholy. My horns twitch when Ed sighed and smacked Clair in the back of the head.

"Ow!"

"Don't take things so literal, Clair. I'm sure you did fine," he said...almost happily. Weird. Maybe he liked messing with people, too. Probably. He was Edward Elric, after all. "So, what's this, anyways?" he poked me in the stomach.

"This is Yuki. Or...well...Yuki's soul bonded to an object," she held me up with a nod in her voice.

Ed looked at me ecstatic by Clair's words. "That's impossible." He poked me again.

'Yuki move or I swear... Don't do this to me.' Clair demanded.

_Make me._

'Oh, okay, we'll play that game, then.' Clair positioned her hand in a tilt. I began slipping from her sweaty palms. Swiftly, I used my tail to grab Clair's thumb to keep me from falling. When I opened my eyes, Ed was gawking at me in amazement. I could see laughter in his eyes, but he wasn't laughing. He was more baffled than anything else.

"Hiya! Name's Yuki Tenshi!" I pranced, then sat looking straight at Ed's golden eyes. His pupils were still starstruck. "Yes, I am a dragon. Get over it, shorty."

"WHO YOU CALLING SHORT, YOU HALF-PINT MIDGET DRAGON!" Ed shouted in outrage, then came his whining voice, "Who calling short, anyways? You're only six-inches tall!"

"Just shut up, will ya! It's not like I haven't notice." I rolled my eyes. "Where's your brother? Alphonse Elric, I presume. Clair told me about you guys."

_We'll keep our secret about our side of the Gate together, okay?_ I told her. Maybe being telepathic to my best friend wasn't horrible.

'What secret!' the souls scream. Again, I ignored them like Clair did. She nodded to me.

The pipsqueak sighed with his hand scratching below his bangs, "This is still impossible."

"...Your brother?"

"But-!" His eyebrow that were fruitfully confused fell below his eyes in a fundamental glare. After a while, like, twenty minutes, his glare remained baffled, but one eyebrow was raised. "Still impossible."

"Stubborn fool," Clair muttered.

"I'm not stubborn; it's just not accurately possible to do this with alchemy unless..." he trailed.

_You haven't told him about Truth, have you?_ I asked.

'Nope,' my friend answered with a slight smirk.

_No wonder... He doesn't know much about the Philosopher's Stone either, which causes a dilemma for you and me both._

'You're telling me.'

"Hey, you never did say where Al went," Clair changed the subject on him to bring him back to reality.

For a second he hesitated before he snapped out of it...somewhat, "He's probably found another cat or something again." He frowned. "He didn't leave too long ago, so he's around here somewhere." He paused, and began with a grin, "So dragon girl, can you fly?"

"My name is Yuki!" I scream again. "But...uh...I never tried." I lifted my wings high into the sky a little passed Clair's boobs, which wasn't weird because she didn't have any... Ed's eyes widened when he saw me and muttered something under his breath I couldn't hear. When the wind caught me, I leaped off her hand. I stared at the ground, realizing I was higher off the ground than I originally thought. In panic, I flapped once, but it was useless. My face landing face first in the stone pavement.

"I'm going to take that as a no," Ed half-smiled.

"Hey! At least I had the courage to try!" I complained. "Anyways, it turns out I'm too heavy to fly. Wait- You knew that all along, didn't you!"

Ed didn't deny it. "Lets go find Al," he commanded.

"Don't just ignore me!"

He ignored me.

"Hey! C'mon!" I followed them down the steps. My claws made it hard to get down them without falling. Not only that, but the stair looked like a never-ending downward spiral. Soon, they had made it to the bottom when I was still near the top...

Clair came to get me. "C'mon slowpoke." I glared at her comment without bickering again. (Being a six-inches tall was stressful enough...) She picked me up and carried me to the bottom, then sat me on the ground. "Try to keep up, okay?"

"Uh-huh," I sighed, struggling to keep up with their running. We manged to find Al in an alleyway with a cat, just like Ed had expected; though, I think we all expected it.

The orange cat with golden-slit eyes jumped out of his arms, then began to pounce at me. "No, no, no! Be a good kitty!" My yelling didn't stop the cat from leaping on me. Its claws tried to dig into my rock body, but was unable to. I really didn't want to hurt one of my favorite creatures, but I bit its tail to let me go. The cat yelp, then scampered into the distance. "Ha! You're just glad I can't breathe fire!" When I turned my head to the crowd, Al looked at me in a gaze while Ed smirked. "What?"

The Elric brothers didn't answer me. Instead, Clair picked me up and pawned me off to Al. When I tipped my head over his hand, I was terrified from being up so high. My color turned into an obsidian color./_Just great. Clair has to repay me for this. I'm not just a dragon...no, I'm a chameleon dragon!_

"Al, this is Yuki now." She rubbed the back of her neck, bowing her head. "I didn't mean to... Honest! It was just an accident."

"No, this is amazing! Clair, you're could make a breakthrough in alchemy!" Al chimed.

"Really?" she gazed at Al like he was the crazy one, but, in fact, we were all crazy; Al tried to lighten the mood on this situation. If anyone, he was the _only_ sane one.

* * *

**Clair PoV**

The day I had been waiting for all month had finally arrived: my results. I sat in Mustang's office with Yuki standing on the back of the black furniture. Mustang instructed Ed and Al to stay outside the door until we ended our discussion. "Here," he handed me a large yellow envelope with my name on the left-hand corner. The folder looked as through it was opened before, but I ignored it. I ripped it quickly like a child opening its biggest gift on Christmas. Without hesitation, I pulled out a slip paper from the Fuehrer.

I read the cursive print quietly to myself with my heart racing:

_I, Fuehrer King Brady, hereby pledge from this day forth a new state alchemist is amongst us. Perfections of the art appoints **SAPPHIRE** to **CLAIR ARAGON**, for your alchemy is control by an antithetical ruby. You shall obey policies from the government with an ample amount of money for your research funds concerning the government. You've gain the right to reading materials in different facilities, such as the National Library, and have the equal rank of a "major"._

"So Sapphire, do you like the name?" Mustang asked. So he was the one that looked through the folder already...

My heart skipped a few beats hearing someone say it out-loud. I smiled. "I love it!"

"The Fuehrer also wanted me to tell you something. Your friend," he pointed at Yuki, "is kept secret to anyone outside the military. She can't speak to anyone, and since it seems you can talk to each other otherwise, it shouldn't be much of an issue. However, if she does slip a word, anyone around spreading rumors will be prosecuted," Mustang explained.

"Why?"

"Technically, between you and me, I saw it. You did Human Transmutation, which is strictly forbidden and you should've been killed on the spot. However, the Fuehrer let it slide for whatever reason, probably because of that stone in your gut the brothers told me about," he sighed, "If I was you, I'd watch my back."

"Uh...sure. After being kidnapped by Tucker and being trapped in a hospital for two days, I've learned that much," I argued with a sigh. When Mustang moved a box to end of his desk, I grabbed it from him. Inside, had a state alchemist pocket watch with a finite silver lining that sparkled in my eyes.

Suddenly, when I sat back in my seat, Yuki grabbed it in her jaws and scampered towards the door. The chains rattled against the floor as she dragged it. "Yuki! Where are you going?!" I quickly started chasing after her.

'I have to show the brothers, now don't I?' she screamed at me with her thoughts. I smiled, then sat down in my seat once more.

"Anyways, you were saying?" I asked.

Mustang had an eyebrow raised in bewilderment, but replied to me without asking anything. "Um, furthermore, the Fuehrer has given you an assignment, and to make sure your loyalty is with the military, the job must be done without the Elric Brother's help."

My eyes jumped awake at that fact. With me being an alchemist, they didn't need to protect me anymore. I was...alone. I agreed to the assignment, even though I never had a choice in the matter, "Uh...sure. What's the assignment?"

"In the West district, you need to find a rogue state alchemist by the name the Blood Alchemist. It is said that he can tame control the water inside your blood vessels to leave you immobilized. The city he was last sighted in was Pendleton."

The name rung in my ears until I realized something unique about that city. It was where my journey started. I would have to deal with that idiot again. Of course, I would. He was going to love me!

"Um Mustang, can I ask you a question that stays between you and me?" I asked, thinking about a simple person, ...or a complex person, in my mind for the past month. If anyone could help me, he could.

Mustang nodded as I scooted insecurely in my seat, "Um...do you know where Van Hohenheim is? Even a relative location would help."

"I'll answer you if you answer why," Mustang gambled.

"Oh! Of course! You know how he's Ed and Al's father, right? Well, if his sons are this great, he's gotta be better. If that's correct, I can maybe figure out more about the stone," I answered with my heart pumping out of my chest, like I was breaking the law by asking a simple question.

"I like your motives, Sapphire, but nobody from the government has spotted him for years. I'm sorry, but I cannot help you."

"Can you give me anything?"

"Even if I did say anything, and you did go this place, he wouldn't be there. If the military can't locate him, nobody can," he explained somewhat dearly, but without consent in his tone.

"O- Oh, okay, I understand. I'll look for him myself."

"After you get the first assignment done," he sounded harsh.

My eyes widened when he threw a folder at me, "This contains the information we know on the rogue. It's your job to figure out what he's hiding and report back to me if you find anything."

"Do I have to do those stupid report things like Ed?"

"Yes," he immediately answered.

I stood up, stretching, then walked toward the door with two envelopes in my hands: one for my assignment and the other for my diploma. "Thanks for the good luck," I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

_This is gonna be the hardest week of my entire life._

'Don't forget about our wishes!' bustled one over the rest.

I nodded sarcastically, _Uh-huh, I'll get right on that._

"Oh, and Sapphire..." he trailed like he wanted to tell me something, but never followed through.

"I know, I'll be careful, Mustang. Don't worry about me," I replied, knowing he cared somewhat about me.

"That wasn't what I was going to say." His dark eyes beaded at me. _Seriously?_ "Remember to keep Yuki from speaking to anyone."

"I get it! Geez, you're worse than my mom telling me to clean my room. I got this, okay?" I mouthed, waiting to hear something else come out of him. When he didn't say anything, I walked outside to meet Ed and Al celebrating my victory..., or should I say Al praising me while his brother said nothing. When I told them about me leaving, Al gave me good luck, while Ed still refused to reward me. Al kept trying to get his brother to feel excited for me, but it didn't work.

I learned something from that incident as well: Ed cared about me. The only logical reason he didn't say anything was because now I was a dog of the military, just like him. He never admitted it, but he never wanted this life for me; I could see that by looking in his down-to-earth eyes and frown. That was enough to make me smile.

* * *

**So... Few things I need to mention here. The Blood Alchemist I know is LeFay's thing, but I need this person in my story. You know how Clair's blood all whacked out, I need it for something...interesting. *grins like smiledog* Besides, the guy's nothing like Taylor, so don't even yell at me. If you do, then I suppose that's alright. If you file it as plagerism, I'm okay with that, too, but like I said it's a well-needed character to bring the story out more. If you have a better name to give someone that transmutes _blood _for his alchemy, tell me! XD Thanx!  
**

**Okay, second topic: I'm late. Awe well, I would give you a million excuses, but that's what they are _excuses _so why should I even say them... **

**Third topic: Yuki's a dragon. Cool, huh? I figured everything that has happened to me is bad, horrible, diabolical, or down-right cruel, so I decided to pick on someone else instead! It just happens to make me happy. Lol! **

**Question of the chapter: Did you have a good day? (I didn't because my siblings don't know how to get along. I don't like fighting, so hopefully your guy's days will cheer me!) **

**Okay, new thing. I keep trying new things, but I think this one will actually work! (I know it's two questions in a row, but this one has rewards! I don't know what they'll be yet, but I'll think of something... Don't be a cheater.)  
**

**FMA Trivia question: What's the name of Mustang's competitor in the South Command? (Like Olivia is in the North; who's in the South?) **


End file.
